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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. squash — the sport
  4. march — music
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. tear — from crying
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mark — a grade
  9. chest — a box
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chest — of your body
  14. march — the month
  15. tear — to rip
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mark — a trace
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. tear — from crying
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stem — to come from
  23. chest — of your body
  24. march — the month

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