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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. march — music
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. march — the month
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stem — to come from
  12. date — the fruit
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. march — the month
  16. bear — the animal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stand — to bear
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. trunk — of a car

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