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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. march — music
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. prune — to trim
  5. can — to be able to
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. race — humankind
  11. can — a tin
  12. mark — a trace
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. can — a tin
  16. race — a contest
  17. firm — decided
  18. land — a country
  19. stem — to come from
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mark — a grade
  24. race — the arms race

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