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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. march — music
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. suit — in cards
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. scale — size or range
  7. degree — from a university
  8. march — the month
  9. degree — an amount
  10. suit — clothes
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. suit — to fit
  13. stem — to come from
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. march — the month
  19. scale — in music
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. date — on the calendar
  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