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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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. content — happy
  4. march — the month
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. row — to paddle
  7. content — the amount
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. march — the month
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pass — a permit
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. march — music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. saw — the tool

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