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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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Word bank
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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: cap · march · bound · pass · stem · pit · ground · game

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. march — music
  10. game — a match
  11. march — the month
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pit — in a race
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — crushed

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