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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. present — a gift
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stem — to come from
  6. staff — employees
  7. degree — an amount
  8. perch — the fish
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. present — there
  13. degree — temperature
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. degree — from a university
  17. present — the time now
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wound — an injury
  21. staff — employees
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. staff — a stick
  24. saw — the tool

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