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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spring — of water
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stem — to come from
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. spring — the season
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. sharp — clever

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