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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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. fall — to drop
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. row — to paddle
  6. fall — the season
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. wind — moving air
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — rain
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stand — to bear
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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