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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — the earth
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. face — to point toward
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mate — a partner
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. band — a ring
  15. march — the month
  16. can — a tin
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mate — a friend
  19. band — a music group
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mate — to breed

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