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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bank — for money
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pop — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mate — a friend
  17. march — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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