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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · perch · chair · bass · hide · press · ball · row

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. row — a line
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. press — a publisher
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. ball — a great time
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. perch — the fish
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. press — newspapers
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bass — low music
  22. row — to paddle
  23. press — to push
  24. stem — of a plant

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