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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 like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bark — to shout
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. perch — the fish
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bulb — of a plant

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