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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. root — of a word
  4. tear — to rip
  5. row — to paddle
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rock — a stone
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — a face
  10. row — a line
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tear — from crying
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. file — a tool
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. mug — a cup
  23. rock — music
  24. file — a document

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