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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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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. field — a subject
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rock — a stone
  11. plane — a tool
  12. stem — to come from
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. sharp — with an edge

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