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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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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stem — to come from
  4. season — in sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. season — of the year
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. foot — a measure
  10. can — a tin
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. staff — employees
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. can — to be able to
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. can — a tin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — a permit
  23. staff — employees
  24. foot — the bottom

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