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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fine — all right
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. perch — the fish
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. calf — a young animal

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