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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pop — to visit
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. season — in sport
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. perch — the fish
  14. can — a tin
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. can — to be able to
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. can — a tin
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. season — of the year

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