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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. content — happy
  4. perch — the fish
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. root — of a plant
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. can — to be able to
  12. branch — a division
  13. degree — an amount
  14. can — a tin
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. degree — from a university
  17. can — a tin
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pound — a weight
  23. content — the amount
  24. perch — for a bird

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