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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. clip — for paper
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stem — to come from
  5. firm — a company
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. vault — a safe
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. perch — the fish
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. firm — decided
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. clip — to cut
  18. firm — steady
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — a video
  22. file — a document
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fan — a supporter

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