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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 116 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. perch — the fish
  3. track — a song
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chair — a leader
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rock — music
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. row — a line
  18. drill — a practice
  19. track — a path
  20. prune — to trim
  21. drill — army training
  22. stem — to come from
  23. track — to keep track
  24. perch — for a bird

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