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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stem — to come from
  3. march — the month
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — of the year
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. march — music
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. drill — army training
  14. stand — to bear
  15. drill — a practice
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. staff — a stick
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. season — in sport
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stem — of a plant

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