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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. perch — the fish
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mate — a friend
  6. land — a country
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mug — a cup
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. land — to come down
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. land — ground
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mug — a face
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mug — to rob
  22. root — the cause
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fork — to eat with

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