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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. saw — the tool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tear — to rip
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. content — happy
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. content — the amount
  22. rush — hurry
  23. perch — the fish
  24. tear — from crying

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