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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. march — the month
  3. wound — an injury
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fall — to drop
  7. march — the month
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. march — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. snap — to click
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pop — music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stem — to come from
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. fall — the season
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  24. racket — a loud noise

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