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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cap — a hat
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spring — a coil
  12. perch — the fish
  13. root — the cause
  14. cap — of ice
  15. race — humankind
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spring — the season
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spring — of water
  20. wound — an injury
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. root — of a word
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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