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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: ground · rash · perch · tube · bay · fan · rush · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. ground — crushed
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. tube — a container
  8. rash — a series
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ground — a position
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. fan — a supporter

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