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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. march — the month
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bear — the animal
  5. suit — clothes
  6. face — to confront
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. march — the month
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. suit — to fit
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. band — a music group
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. band — a ring
  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