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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. drill — a practice
  6. scale — in music
  7. drill — army training
  8. pop — music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. perch — the fish
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — soda
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stem — to come from
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pop — to visit

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