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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — to trim
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. root — of a word
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. root — the cause
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bear — the animal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. prune — to trim

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