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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stem — to come from
  3. spring — the season
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pop — soda
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pop — music
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. ball — a dance
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spring — of water
  18. pop — to visit
  19. content — happy
  20. ball — a great time
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. content — the amount
  24. nail — for a hammer

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