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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. staff — employees
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stem — to come from
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. perch — the fish
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fine — all right
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stem — a stem cell

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