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

Word bank: chest · perch · kick · bulb · mate · bound · stem · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. ground — a position
  5. bound — certain
  6. perch — the fish
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bulb — for light
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. chest — a box
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. kick — in football
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mate — a friend
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mate — a partner

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