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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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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: mug · perch · stem · snap · pound · foot · land · fall

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pound — a weight
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. land — a country
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stem — to come from
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — ground
  15. fall — the season
  16. land — to come down
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mug — a cup
  19. fall — to drop
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mug — a face

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