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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rest — what's left
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. last — final
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. last — finally
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rest — a break
  14. stem — to come from
  15. last — to go on
  16. mark — a grade
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. perch — for a bird

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