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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rock — music
  4. present — the time now
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rock — a stone
  11. present — there
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rash — a series
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. present — a gift
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stem — to come from

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