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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: bear · rest · stem · cap · leaves · pass · march · cold

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rest — a break
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cap — of ice
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pass — a permit
  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