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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bound — obliged
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lean — to bend
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lean — thin
  15. bound — certain
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. branch — a division
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. ground — a position
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rest — a break

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