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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stock — shares
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — to go on
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. stock — goods
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. saw — the tool
  14. last — final
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. perch — the fish
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. swing — music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. last — finally
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fan — a supporter

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