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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 120 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: suit · cold · perch · mark · stem · row · stick · swing

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mark — a grade
  7. suit — clothes
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. suit — in cards
  13. row — a line
  14. swing — in golf
  15. suit — to fit
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cold — not warm
  18. swing — to play on
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. swing — music
  21. row — to paddle
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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