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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: march · tube · craft · stem · bank · face · bay · snap

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. face — part of the head
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. stem — to come from
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — a container
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. march — the month
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. march — the month
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. face — to confront
  17. tube — the underground
  18. march — music
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. snap — to click
  22. craft — boats
  23. bank — of a river
  24. stem — a stem cell

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