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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. hand — help
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. foot — a measure
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. hand — in cards
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. stock — goods
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. stock — shares
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. perch — the fish
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. lash — an eyelash

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