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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 116 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. swing — music
  3. file — a tool
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. swing — in golf
  7. stock — goods
  8. march — the month
  9. spell — magic
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. firm — a company
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stock — shares
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. spell — letters
  20. file — a document
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. swing — to play on
  23. file — a line of people
  24. leaves — lets stay

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