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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rash — a series
  4. drill — army training
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. perch — the fish
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. charge — electricity
  10. stem — to come from
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — clever
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. charge — a price
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. drill — the tool
  18. track — a song
  19. charge — in control
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rash — hasty
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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