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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mark — a trace
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. present — the time now
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fine — all right
  16. snap — to click
  17. stem — to come from
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. fine — high quality
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stem — of a plant

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