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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: wake · mug · object · tear · stem · perch · straw · court

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mug — to rob
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mug — a face
  11. object — an aim
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wake — a trail
  14. court — of law
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tear — from crying
  17. object — a thing
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. court — for sport
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. court — of a king
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. straw — a straw man

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