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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. march — music
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stem — to come from
  12. shower — rain
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bound — tied together
  15. can — a tin
  16. bound — certain
  17. can — to be able to
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. can — a tin
  23. march — the month
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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