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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. march — the month
  6. lie — to recline
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bound — tied together
  10. capital — money
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. capital — a city
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bound — certain
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. stem — of a plant

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