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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. roll — a cake
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — bread
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stem — to come from
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. roll — a list
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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