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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mine — for digging
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. land — to come down
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. lie — to recline
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. land — ground
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. content — happy
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stem — to come from
  22. content — the amount
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. land — a country

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