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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. roll — a cake
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. root — the cause
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. perch — the fish
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. roll — a list
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. root — of a word
  23. wound — an injury
  24. perch — for a bird

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