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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. hand — help
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. hand — in cards
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. fork — in a road
  23. perch — the fish
  24. dip — to sink

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