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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. spring — a coil
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rash — hasty
  7. face — to confront
  8. mate — a friend
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spring — of water
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spring — the season
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rash — a series
  24. face — part of the head

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