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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: bore · rash · pop · chip · lie · march · stem · drill

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pop — music
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chip — to eat
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pop — to visit
  11. march — music
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. pop — soda
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. march — the month
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. drill — army training
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rash — hasty

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