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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. march — the month
  3. file — a line of people
  4. march — music
  5. land — to come down
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. march — the month
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pit — in a race
  11. present — a gift
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. present — the time now
  17. pit — a hole
  18. file — a tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. land — ground
  21. file — a document
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. land — a country

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