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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 120 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. spell — a short time
  7. march — the month
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mark — a grade
  11. spell — magic
  12. lean — thin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. tube — a container
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. march — music
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. spell — letters

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