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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bound — obliged
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fork — in a road

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