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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. band — a ring
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — a country
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. root — the cause
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. root — of a word
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. land — ground
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. land — to come down
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. root — of a plant
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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