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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 120 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 · stem · rash · march · bear · squash · kick · bay

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. object — a thing
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. kick — in football
  9. march — music
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bear — the animal
  16. object — an aim
  17. rash — a series
  18. object — to protest
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. squash — to crush
  21. march — the month
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. march — the month

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