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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. field — a subject
  3. last — finally
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. field — for sport
  6. last — to go on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a document
  9. stem — to come from
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — farmland
  12. last — final
  13. hand — help
  14. file — a tool
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. hand — in cards
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. suit — clothes
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. perch — for a bird

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