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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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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: kid · stem · perch · bowl · present · lean · pop · charge

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lean — thin
  4. charge — in control
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. charge — electricity
  7. pop — soda
  8. perch — the fish
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. charge — a price
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. present — the time now
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. present — a gift
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. kid — child
  21. lean — to bend
  22. present — there
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. perch — for a bird

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