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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. march — music
  4. press — newspapers
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wound — an injury
  11. plane — a tool
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to click
  16. press — a publisher
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. press — to push
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mouse — for a computer

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