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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: chest · stem · lash · perch · fine · row · squash · can

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chest — of your body
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. squash — the sport
  7. row — a line
  8. fine — high quality
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stem — to come from
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fine — all right
  18. chest — a box
  19. can — to be able to
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — of your body

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