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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. march — the month
  7. stem — to come from
  8. march — music
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. march — the month
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mark — a grade
  14. spell — a short time
  15. foot — a measure
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mark — a trace
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. land — a country
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. spell — magic

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