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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. perch — the fish
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. plane — a tool
  6. root — of a word
  7. content — the amount
  8. root — of a plant
  9. last — to go on
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. content — happy
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. root — the cause
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. last — finally
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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