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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. tube — the underground
  6. chest — a box
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. tube — a container

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