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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: ground · bay · tear · mate · perch · stem · lean · pit

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mate — a partner
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pit — in a race
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mate — a friend
  11. lean — thin
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. ground — a position
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. lean — to bend

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