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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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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: ground · chest · craft · spell · pit · squash · stem · perch

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spell — letters
  6. ground — the earth
  7. craft — boats
  8. perch — the fish
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pit — a hole
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stem — to come from
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — a position
  18. spell — magic
  19. pit — in a race
  20. craft — a skill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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