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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. march — the month
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. spring — a coil
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. march — the month
  12. snap — to click
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. march — music
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wake — a trail
  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