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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: craft · wake · lie · march · drill · pit · stand · stem

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. craft — boats
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. drill — army training
  5. march — music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. drill — a practice
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. march — the month
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. lie — to recline
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. craft — a skill
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pit — in a race
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pit — a hole

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