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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: bass · drill · stem · stick · march · cell

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stem — to come from
  6. march — the month
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. march — music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. march — the month
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bass — low music
  15. drill — army training
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. drill — the tool

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