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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fork — in a road
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. march — the month
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. field — for sport
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. field — farmland
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. degree — from a university

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