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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. season — of the year
  5. bore — to drill
  6. kid — child
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. season — in sport
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. march — music
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bat — the animal
  16. march — the month
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. march — the month
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bore — to tire
  24. rest — what's left

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