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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bound — obliged
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bound — certain
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bound — tied together
  17. toast — bread
  18. club — for golf
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pound — a weight
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. club — a group
  24. perch — for a bird

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