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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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. scale — for weighing
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fall — the season
  7. suit — in cards
  8. chest — a box
  9. suit — to fit
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. march — the month
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. march — the month
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. scale — in music
  23. suit — clothes
  24. scale — size or range

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