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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rule — government
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. row — to paddle
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fine — all right
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. prune — to trim
  14. track — a path
  15. stem — to come from
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rule — a law
  20. fine — high quality
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. prune — to trim
  24. straw — dry grass

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