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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. staff — employees
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. staff — employees
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. last — to go on
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. last — final
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. last — finally
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mark — a trace

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