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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. root — of a word
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. craft — boats
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cell — in biology
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. root — the cause
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mine — for digging

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