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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cap — a hat
  3. march — the month
  4. cap — of ice
  5. perch — the fish
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stem — to come from
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. staff — employees
  12. cap — a lid
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — for light
  15. vault — a safe
  16. prune — to trim
  17. staff — employees
  18. march — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bulb — for light
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. prune — to trim

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