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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. march — the month
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. march — the month
  7. lean — to bend
  8. degree — temperature
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. march — music
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wind — moving air
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. degree — an amount
  19. kick — in football
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. kick — with a leg

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