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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pop — soda
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lean — to bend
  5. field — for sport
  6. root — of a plant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pop — music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wind — moving air
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. pop — to visit
  15. root — the cause
  16. field — farmland
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. field — a subject
  19. wind — moving air
  20. root — of a word
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lean — thin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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