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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. stem — to come from
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. march — the month
  5. board — a committee
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. prune — to trim
  13. scale — in music
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. march — music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. prune — to trim
  19. march — the month
  20. staff — employees
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stem — of a plant

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