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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 120 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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. last — to go on
  3. perch — the fish
  4. object — an aim
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stem — to come from
  7. board — a committee
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. object — a thing
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pit — in a race
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wound — an injury
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. capital — money
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. object — to protest
  22. board — to get on
  23. capital — a city
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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