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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spring — a coil
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — decided
  6. clip — for paper
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — to bend
  9. clip — a video
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. spring — the season
  15. clip — to cut
  16. perch — the fish
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. lean — thin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spring — of water
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fall — the season
  24. firm — a company

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