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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 124 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pop — soda
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stand — to bear
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pop — to visit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. season — of the year
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. season — in sport
  17. pop — music
  18. root — of a word
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. root — the cause
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. root — of a plant
  24. perch — the fish

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