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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stem — to come from
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. spring — of water
  6. can — to be able to
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. hand — in cards
  11. spring — the season
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. spring — a coil
  17. can — a tin
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mark — a grade
  22. perch — the fish
  23. vault — a safe
  24. can — a tin

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