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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cap — of ice
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cap — a hat
  10. kid — child
  11. craft — boats
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bass — the fish
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cap — a lid
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. date — the fruit

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