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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. field — for sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. root — the cause
  11. fall — to drop
  12. root — of a word
  13. fall — the season
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. field — a subject
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. date — the fruit
  19. field — farmland
  20. fall — to drop
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. root — of a plant

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