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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. current — of water
  3. stem — to come from
  4. march — the month
  5. current — happening now
  6. fork — in a road
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. row — a line
  9. swing — to play on
  10. row — to paddle
  11. swing — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. current — electric
  14. perch — the fish
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. swing — in golf
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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