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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. scale — size or range
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wake — a trail
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bear — the animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. scale — in music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stem — to come from

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