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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. march — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. march — the month
  5. bound — certain
  6. march — the month
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. swing — music
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bound — obliged
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pop — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pop — soda
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stem — a stem cell

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