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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. scale — in music
  4. spring — of water
  5. stock — shares
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. spring — a coil
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. march — music
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mark — a grade
  18. march — the month
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. march — the month
  23. spring — the season
  24. scale — size or range

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