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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bank — for money
  12. file — a tool
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ball — a great time
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. file — a document
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bank — for money
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. kick — in football

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