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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. march — the month
  3. bank — for money
  4. current — of water
  5. stem — to come from
  6. march — music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. object — to protest
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. object — an aim
  11. current — happening now
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. march — the month
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bank — for money
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. bank — of a river
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. root — of a plant
  23. object — a thing
  24. current — electric

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