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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 116 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. march — the month
  4. fine — all right
  5. stock — goods
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. snap — to click
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fine — high quality
  10. season — of the year
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — in sport
  14. chair — a leader
  15. stem — to come from
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — shares
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. march — music

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