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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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468
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: march · hand · bear · mark · racket · cell · suit · stem

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stem — to come from
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bear — the animal
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mark — a grade
  11. hand — help
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mark — a trace
  15. march — the month
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. march — the month
  21. suit — clothes
  22. march — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cell — in biology

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