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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. firm — decided
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. firm — steady
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ground — a position
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. branch — a division
  9. plane — a tool
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. firm — a company
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. stem — to come from
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stem — of a plant

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