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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: hide · perch · stem · degree · nail · wax · bowl · swing

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stem — to come from
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. swing — music
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. perch — the fish
  12. swing — in golf
  13. degree — temperature
  14. swing — to play on
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wax — to grow
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. stem — a stem cell

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