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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 120 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. root — of a word
  3. land — to come down
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. perch — the fish
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. root — the cause
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. root — of a plant
  12. firm — decided
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. land — ground
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — a country
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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