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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 124 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lie — to recline
  5. spring — of water
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fall — the season
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rash — a series
  17. march — the month
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. spring — the season
  21. march — music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rash — on the skin

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