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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wake — a trail
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fine — all right
  7. rash — a series
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fine — high quality
  20. file — a document
  21. perch — the fish
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. file — a line of people

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