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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · chest · craft · pound · stem · perch

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. perch — the fish
  3. chest — of your body
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. craft — boats
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. chest — a box
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. craft — a skill
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bowl — a dish

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