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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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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: board · perch · cap · chest · tear · arm · stem · leaves

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cap — of ice
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cap — a hat
  15. board — to get on
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. chest — of your body
  18. board — a committee
  19. chest — of your body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stem — to come from
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stem — of a plant

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