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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bore — to tire
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rock — music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bore — to drill
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. march — the month
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. march — the month
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rock — a stone
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. fall — the season
  24. march — music

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