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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. perch — the fish
  3. firm — a company
  4. scale — in music
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chest — of your body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. firm — steady
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chest — a box
  22. mark — a grade
  23. scale — size or range
  24. firm — decided

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