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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. perch — the fish
  3. track — a path
  4. stem — to come from
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. press — to push
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. track — a song
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. press — newspapers
  20. board — a committee
  21. track — to keep track
  22. board — to get on
  23. press — a publisher
  24. content — happy

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