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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spell — magic
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. march — the month
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. march — music
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bulb — for light
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — a division
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cap — a hat
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cap — of ice
  21. spell — letters
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cap — a lid
  24. branch — of a tree

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