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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chest — a box
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. scale — in music
  6. perch — the fish
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chest — of your body
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mine — for digging
  18. can — a tin
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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