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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — army training
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. drill — the tool
  9. spell — letters
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spell — magic
  12. perch — the fish
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chip — for betting
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stem — to come from
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bound — tied together

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