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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wax — to grow
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spring — the season
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. snap — to click
  17. stem — to come from
  18. scale — in music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. spring — of water
  21. scale — size or range
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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