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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ground — a position
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. spring — of water
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. spring — the season
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pit — a hole
  24. perch — the fish

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