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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. march — the month
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bound — tied together
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wind — moving air
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bound — certain
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. perch — the fish

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