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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. snap — to click
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — a stick
  10. spell — letters
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hand — help
  16. staff — employees
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. staff — employees
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. spell — magic
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fan — a supporter

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