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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. prune — to trim
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ball — a great time
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. rock — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rock — a stone
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stem — to come from

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