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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cold — an illness
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ground — the earth
  9. deal — to handle
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. perch — the fish
  14. root — of a word
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. root — the cause
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. ground — a position
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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