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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spring — the season
  4. present — a gift
  5. spring — a coil
  6. march — the month
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. present — there
  12. bound — certain
  13. stock — goods
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. bound — obliged
  17. spring — of water
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mark — a grade
  22. present — the time now
  23. stock — shares
  24. calf — of the leg

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