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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 124 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. last — finally
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. last — to go on
  7. current — happening now
  8. stem — to come from
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. date — the fruit
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. current — electric
  15. march — the month
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. last — final
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stem — a stem cell

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