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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. season — of the year
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. drill — a practice
  11. season — in sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. drill — the tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. drill — army training
  16. stem — to come from
  17. club — a group
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. march — the month
  20. rash — a series
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rash — hasty

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