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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — in sport
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. season — of the year
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. root — of a word
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stem — to come from
  23. root — the cause
  24. land — a country

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