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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. degree — an amount
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lean — thin
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. degree — temperature
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lash — an eyelash

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