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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pit — a hole
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. drill — a practice
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pit — in a race
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. drill — the tool
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. lean — thin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stem — to come from
  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