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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. swing — to play on
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. capital — a city
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. stem — to come from
  10. file — a line of people
  11. swing — music
  12. capital — money
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stand — to bear
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. file — a document
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. perch — the fish
  21. file — a tool
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wax — to grow

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