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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. perch — the fish
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. craft — boats
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. snap — to click
  19. craft — a skill
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mine — for digging
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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