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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — ground
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stem — to come from
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. lean — thin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. perch — the fish

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