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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stem — to come from
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. perch — the fish
  7. tube — a container
  8. chair — a leader
  9. board — to get on
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ball — a dance
  12. board — a committee
  13. ball — a great time
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rush — hurry
  22. tube — the underground
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stem — a stem cell

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