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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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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. staff — employees
  5. perch — the fish
  6. snap — to click
  7. kid — child
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. object — a thing
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stem — to come from
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. object — an aim
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. object — to protest
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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