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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bank — of a river
  5. fine — all right
  6. lean — to bend
  7. root — of a plant
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bank — for money
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rash — a series
  14. lean — thin
  15. cue — for pool
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bank — for money
  18. root — the cause
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. perch — the fish
  22. root — of a word
  23. fine — high quality
  24. perch — for a bird

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