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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rash — a series
  5. band — a music group
  6. stem — to come from
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. band — a ring
  10. march — music
  11. object — to protest
  12. row — a line
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — hasty
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  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