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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. game — a match
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hand — in cards
  9. can — a tin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. hand — help
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stem — to come from
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fall — the season

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