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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. foot — a measure
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. deal — to handle
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. net — in sport
  12. stem — to come from
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. drill — army training
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. net — for catching
  23. perch — the fish
  24. net — after costs

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