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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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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: can · chair · march · club · present · straw · wake · stem

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. present — a gift
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. club — for golf
  7. can — a tin
  8. march — the month
  9. can — to be able to
  10. present — the time now
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. can — a tin
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. march — music
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stem — to come from
  23. present — there
  24. straw — dry grass

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