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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. root — of a plant
  5. season — of the year
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. staff — employees
  9. club — for dancing
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. staff — employees
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. root — the cause
  15. season — in sport
  16. mate — a partner
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. root — of a word
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. club — for golf
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. club — a group

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