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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wound — an injury
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. saw — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bat — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pound — a weight
  24. perch — for a bird

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