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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 120 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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. stem — of a plant
  5. shower — rain
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. staff — employees
  15. scale — size or range
  16. vault — a safe
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. scale — in music
  21. staff — employees
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. racket — for tennis

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