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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mark — a trace
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — the cause
  5. drill — the tool
  6. perch — the fish
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. root — of a word
  9. drill — army training
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mark — a grade
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. drill — a practice
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. shower — rain
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. jam — a tight spot

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