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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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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: bowl · bear · object · stem · perch · drill · key · spell

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. key — the most important part
  3. object — to protest
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. perch — the fish
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. object — an aim
  9. key — in music
  10. spell — letters
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stem — to come from
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — a practice
  18. spell — magic
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. key — for a lock
  21. drill — the tool
  22. object — a thing
  23. drill — army training
  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