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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. can — a tin
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ground — the earth
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. can — a tin
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. branch — a division
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. mine — for digging
  22. can — to be able to
  23. perch — the fish
  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