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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rash — a series
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pitch — completely
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lean — thin
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mate — a friend
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mate — a partner

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