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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. press — newspapers
  4. perch — the fish
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. press — a publisher
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a skill
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. file — a document
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stem — to come from
  18. press — to push
  19. file — a line of people
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. track — to keep track
  23. file — a tool
  24. toast — bread

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