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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. root — of a word
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cap — a lid
  8. land — to come down
  9. march — music
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. root — of a plant
  14. march — the month
  15. land — a country
  16. cap — of ice
  17. tube — a container
  18. cap — a hat
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bore — to drill
  22. land — ground
  23. march — the month
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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