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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: jam · stem · dip · wound · face · temple · arm · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wound — an injury
  9. face — to point toward
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stem — to come from
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wound — an injury
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. face — to confront
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. dip — to sink

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