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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. game — wild animals
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. perch — the fish
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. hand — help
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stock — shares
  17. game — a match
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chip — to eat
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stock — goods
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. game — a kind of play

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