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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pit — a hole
  6. root — of a word
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spell — magic
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rest — what's left
  13. root — the cause
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spell — letters
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pit — in a race
  19. root — of a plant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rest — a break

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