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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mark — a trace
  3. march — the month
  4. object — to protest
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. pit — a hole
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mark — a grade
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pit — in a race
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. fall — the season
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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