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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. dip — to sink
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. ground — the earth
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. game — wild animals
  10. perch — the fish
  11. scale — size or range
  12. ground — a position
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tube — the underground
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stand — to bear
  20. tube — a container
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stand — on your feet

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