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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: sharp · bear · stem · march · cap · club · rest · pound

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stem — to come from
  4. club — for golf
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. march — the month
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bear — the animal
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rest — a break
  15. cap — a lid
  16. club — a group
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. march — music
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. march — the month

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