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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. march — the month
  3. land — a country
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stem — to come from
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a path
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. land — to come down
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bulb — for light
  13. track — a song
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rest — what's left
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rest — a break
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mate — a friend
  21. toast — bread
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. march — music

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