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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: march · rest · stick · board · rash · net · cap · tear

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cap — a lid
  4. march — the month
  5. rest — a break
  6. board — to get on
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rest — what's left
  10. net — for catching
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. net — in sport
  13. march — music
  14. rash — hasty
  15. board — a committee
  16. cap — a hat
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rash — a series
  19. net — after costs
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rest — what's left
  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