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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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cap — a lid
  6. march — the month
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stem — to come from
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — the month
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. court — of a king
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — for sport
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. fall — to drop
  22. court — of law
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stem — of a plant

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