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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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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: object · march · spring · pop · bay · saw · stem · current

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — to come from
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — music
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. object — an aim
  7. saw — the tool
  8. current — happening now
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. spring — the season
  13. march — music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. object — a thing
  16. current — electric
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. object — to protest
  20. spring — of water
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. march — the month
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. current — of water

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