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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 116 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mate — to breed
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mate — a partner
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fine — all right
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stem — to come from
  11. perch — the fish
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. snap — to click
  15. fine — high quality
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mate — a friend
  24. racket — for tennis

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