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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. march — music
  5. row — to paddle
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. march — the month
  13. lie — to recline
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. march — the month
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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