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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 116 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stem — to come from
  3. last — final
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. kid — child
  6. object — to protest
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. object — a thing
  9. current — of water
  10. object — an aim
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. current — electric
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. perch — the fish
  19. last — finally
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. last — to go on
  22. stand — to bear
  23. current — happening now
  24. safe — out of danger

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