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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. march — the month
  4. row — a line
  5. march — the month
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. current — of water
  10. stem — to come from
  11. face — to confront
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wind — moving air
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. march — music
  18. face — part of the head
  19. row — to paddle
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. tear — to rip
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pass — a permit

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