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

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pop — music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. track — a path
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. track — a song
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pop — to visit
  15. root — the cause
  16. pop — soda
  17. root — of a word
  18. fork — in a road
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cold — an illness
  22. perch — the fish
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cold — the Cold War

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