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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cap — a lid
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. last — finally
  7. fork — in a road
  8. present — the time now
  9. spell — magic
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. spell — letters
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. last — final
  14. march — the month
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. march — music
  17. cap — a hat
  18. last — to go on
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. cap — of ice
  21. present — a gift
  22. deal — to handle
  23. march — the month
  24. spell — a short time

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