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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stem — to come from
  3. hand — in cards
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. lean — thin
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. march — the month
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. drill — army training
  14. hand — help
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fork — in a road
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. chest — of your body
  22. drill — the tool
  23. march — music
  24. lean — to bend

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