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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mark — a trace
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bore — to drill
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cap — a hat
  12. land — a country
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cap — a lid
  19. perch — the fish
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wind — moving air
  24. squash — to crush

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