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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. drill — a practice
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. net — after costs
  7. shower — to wash
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — for catching
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. drill — army training
  12. net — in sport
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stem — to come from
  17. scale — size or range
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stock — goods
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stock — shares

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