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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: stem · rest · cap · fan · track · kick · march · nail

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rest — a break
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rest — what's left
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stem — to come from
  12. track — a path
  13. cap — a lid
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. march — music
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rest — what's left
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. track — a song
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. kick — in football

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