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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. present — the time now
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bound — tied together
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. march — the month
  7. present — there
  8. band — a ring
  9. charge — a price
  10. band — a music group
  11. shower — rain
  12. charge — electricity
  13. craft — boats
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. craft — a skill
  16. march — music
  17. bound — certain
  18. march — the month
  19. bound — obliged
  20. present — a gift
  21. charge — in control
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. stem — to come from

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