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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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Word bank
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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: sharp · last · kick · spring · lean · fan · stem · perch

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. kick — in football
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. lean — to bend
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. last — finally
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. perch — the fish
  16. lean — thin
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. last — to go on
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. last — final
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. sharp — with an edge

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