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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — an aim
  5. net — after costs
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. net — in sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. band — a ring
  17. march — the month
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. stem — to come from
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. object — a thing
  23. net — for catching
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com