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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.

Words on the sheet
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: perch · pitcher · last · face · stem · march · stick · present

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. last — finally
  6. march — the month
  7. last — to go on
  8. march — music
  9. stem — to come from
  10. present — the time now
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. face — to confront
  14. last — final
  15. present — there
  16. perch — the fish
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. present — a gift
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — for a bird

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