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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. root — the cause
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. clip — a video
  13. last — final
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. perch — the fish
  18. last — to go on
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. last — finally
  22. root — of a word
  23. clip — for paper
  24. squash — the sport

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