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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rush — hurry
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. land — a country
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. track — a song
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — ground
  21. mate — a partner
  22. land — to come down
  23. track — a path
  24. stem — to come from

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