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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. face — to point toward
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kid — child
  7. charge — a price
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stem — to come from
  10. kid — to tease
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — a container
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. charge — electricity
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. tube — the underground
  23. perch — the fish
  24. charge — in control

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