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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. can — a tin
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stock — shares
  8. perch — the fish
  9. can — a tin
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. prune — to trim
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. content — happy
  17. deal — to handle
  18. root — of a plant
  19. prune — to trim
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. content — the amount
  23. root — the cause
  24. stock — goods

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