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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. row — a line
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bulb — for light
  6. board — a committee
  7. march — the month
  8. net — after costs
  9. bear — the animal
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. net — for catching
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. net — in sport
  15. march — the month
  16. last — to go on
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. march — music
  20. last — finally
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bear — the animal
  24. last — final

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