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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 116 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pop — music
  3. bat — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bore — to drill
  8. staff — employees
  9. firm — steady
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. firm — a company
  13. stem — to come from
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. firm — decided
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. staff — employees
  20. pop — to visit
  21. perch — the fish
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. pop — soda

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