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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. prune — to trim
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. root — of a word
  7. field — a subject
  8. root — of a plant
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pit — a hole
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. field — farmland
  13. band — a music group
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. band — a ring
  17. field — for sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. prune — to trim
  20. root — the cause
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. hide — to keep secret

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