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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 120 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tear — to rip
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rock — music
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. perch — the fish
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pass — a permit
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pass — to spend time

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