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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. dip — to sink
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. chest — of your body
  5. file — a line of people
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. file — a tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. file — a document
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. snap — to click
  20. march — the month
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. perch — for a bird

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