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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. drill — army training
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. stem — to come from
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wake — a trail
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ball — a great time
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stock — shares
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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