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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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. wind — moving air
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bass — low music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stock — goods
  11. bear — the animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stock — shares
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bear — to put up with

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