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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. root — of a plant
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mate — a friend
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. root — of a word
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. root — the cause
  24. pitch — a sports field

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