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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 116 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: mark · wind · firm · rule · last · stem · nail · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. last — finally
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mark — a trace
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — a company
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rule — a law
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. march — music
  15. last — final
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rule — government
  18. stem — to come from
  19. march — the month
  20. last — to go on
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. firm — steady
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stem — of a plant

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