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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mark — a trace
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. season — in sport
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. march — the month
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pound — a weight
  13. season — of the year
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. face — to confront
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — for a hammer

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