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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. plane — a tool
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. net — for catching
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. charge — in control
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. net — in sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. net — after costs
  20. wax — to grow
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. perch — for a bird

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