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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — decided
  6. wake — a trail
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — to shout
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. march — music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. march — the month
  24. firm — steady

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