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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. present — the time now
  3. scale — in music
  4. band — a ring
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. march — the month
  7. present — there
  8. field — farmland
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. scale — size or range
  15. march — music
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. field — for sport
  18. present — a gift
  19. lie — to recline
  20. march — the month
  21. field — a subject
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. band — a music group

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