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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bass — low music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mate — to breed
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. shower — rain
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fork — in a road
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. snap — to click
  23. mate — a partner
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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