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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 124 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. snap — to click
  9. bound — tied together
  10. toast — bread
  11. spell — letters
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. staff — employees
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. spell — magic
  17. stem — to come from
  18. perch — the fish
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bound — certain
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bound — obliged

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