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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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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: fall · band · race · perch · march · lie · present · stem

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. present — the time now
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. race — a contest
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. present — there
  11. stem — to come from
  12. march — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fall — the season
  15. present — a gift
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fall — to drop
  18. race — the arms race
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lie — to recline

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