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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. toast — bread
  5. rock — music
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rock — a stone
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cold — not warm
  16. shower — rain
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. shower — to wash
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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