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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. rock — music
  3. rule — a law
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. land — a country
  9. fall — the season
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. perch — the fish
  13. land — ground
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. root — the cause
  17. rule — government
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. land — to come down
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fall — to drop
  23. root — of a word
  24. perch — for a bird

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