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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. suit — clothes
  7. row — a line
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mark — a grade
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bass — low music
  21. suit — in cards
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mark — a trace
  24. suit — to fit

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