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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cell — in biology
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rule — government
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. land — to come down
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cell — a phone
  16. land — ground
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bear — the animal
  20. land — a country
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rock — music
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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