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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — to come from
  3. hand — help
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. perch — the fish
  9. hand — in cards
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. suit — in cards
  14. pop — music
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. shower — rain
  17. suit — clothes
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. pop — to visit

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