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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. march — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. season — in sport
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bank — for money
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. march — the month
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pass — a permit
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. season — of the year
  23. stem — to come from
  24. march — the month

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