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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. stem — to come from
  3. staff — a stick
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. object — a thing
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — farmland
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. staff — employees
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. object — to protest
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. foot — a measure
  19. object — an aim
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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