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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. file — a tool
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. file — a document
  12. roll — a cake
  13. last — to go on
  14. roll — a list
  15. last — finally
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. last — final
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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