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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. branch — a division
  9. tear — to rip
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. perch — the fish
  14. tear — from crying
  15. last — to go on
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. last — final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. last — finally

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