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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stem — to come from
  3. face — to confront
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. root — of a plant
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. perch — the fish
  10. kick — in football
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. root — of a word
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. content — happy
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. content — the amount
  20. face — part of the head
  21. root — the cause
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. kick — a thrill

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