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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bank — of a river
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bank — for money
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bank — for money
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rash — a series
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stem — to come from
  21. roll — a list
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mouse — the animal

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