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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stem — to come from
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. hand — in cards
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hand — help
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. rash — a series
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. lean — thin
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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