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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 120 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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. perch — the fish
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. band — a ring
  10. track — a song
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — high quality
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. plane — a tool
  17. track — a path
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. arm — part of the body

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