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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. march — music
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. degree — temperature
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. degree — from a university
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — to come from
  18. chair — a leader
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. march — the month
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. degree — an amount
  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