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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · perch · mouse · swing · stem · safe · mark · sharp

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. swing — music
  13. mark — a trace
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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