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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. field — farmland
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. ground — a position
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rash — a series
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. perch — the fish
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fine — high quality
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fine — all right

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