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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. perch — the fish
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stem — to come from
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. ball — a great time
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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