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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. shower — rain
  5. stem — to come from
  6. shower — to wash
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. land — a country
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. tube — the underground
  15. perch — the fish
  16. land — to come down
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. tube — a container
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. foot — a measure
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. deal — to handle
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. foot — the bottom

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