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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spring — a coil
  3. march — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. spring — of water
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rest — a break
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — to grow
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. toast — bread
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pop — music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spring — the season
  24. march — the month

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