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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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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: wound · roll · jam · press · lie · perch · stem · row

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. perch — the fish
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lie — to recline
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. row — to paddle
  11. roll — a list
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. row — a line
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. roll — a cake
  18. press — newspapers
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wound — an injury
  21. press — to push
  22. wound — an injury
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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