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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · toast · stem · pound · perch · rest

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. march — the month
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. rest — a break
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. perch — the fish
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rest — what's left

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