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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. can — a tin
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. root — of a word
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. can — to be able to
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. spell — letters
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. spell — a short time
  16. perch — the fish
  17. spell — magic
  18. can — a tin
  19. root — the cause
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mine — belonging to me

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