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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rock — music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rock — a stone
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. perch — the fish
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rash — a series
  24. bound — certain

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