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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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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. band — a ring
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. object — a thing
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. stem — to come from
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bear — the animal
  20. band — a music group
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. track — to keep track
  23. object — an aim
  24. pitcher — a jug

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