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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — to fit
  3. stem — to come from
  4. foot — a measure
  5. suit — clothes
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spell — a short time
  8. fine — all right
  9. perch — the fish
  10. shower — to wash
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fine — high quality
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. shower — rain
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. nail — for a hammer

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