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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. can — a tin
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. track — a path
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spring — of water
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. kid — to tease
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. track — a song
  22. stem — to come from
  23. kid — child
  24. perch — for a bird

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