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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mate — a friend
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mate — to breed
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pop — music
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. stem — to come from
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pop — soda

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