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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. firm — decided
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. spring — the season
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. firm — a company
  9. spring — a coil
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cap — a hat
  12. spring — of water
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. firm — steady
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stem — to come from

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