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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 116 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: bowl · present · bore · object · rock · perch · stem · pit

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. present — a gift
  5. rock — music
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. present — the time now
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rock — a stone
  16. present — there
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. stem — to come from
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. object — an aim

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