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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. perch — the fish
  3. press — a publisher
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ground — a position
  6. press — newspapers
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. cell — in biology
  11. press — to push
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stem — to come from
  24. nail — for a hammer

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