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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. root — of a plant
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. firm — decided
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. branch — a division
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. object — a thing
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. firm — steady
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. object — an aim
  13. firm — a company
  14. bulb — for light
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fork — in a road
  20. perch — the fish
  21. object — to protest
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitcher — a jug

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