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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fine — high quality
  4. march — the month
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. rock — a stone
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rock — music
  15. staff — employees
  16. march — music
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. staff — a stick
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. march — the month
  23. staff — employees
  24. bore — to tire

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