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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. clip — to cut
  5. can — to be able to
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pass — a permit
  10. march — music
  11. field — a subject
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. field — for sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bear — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. field — farmland
  20. march — the month
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. can — a tin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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