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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mark — a trace
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. key — in music
  9. track — a path
  10. clip — for paper
  11. key — for a lock
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. key — the most important part
  14. march — the month
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mark — a grade
  19. clip — a video
  20. bear — the animal
  21. track — a song
  22. march — the month
  23. bear — the animal
  24. clip — to cut

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