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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: fine · spell · wound · wake · perch · march · fall · stem

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spell — magic
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. perch — the fish
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fall — to drop
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. march — the month
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — letters
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fall — the season
  19. march — music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wake — before a funeral

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