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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lean — to bend
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. root — the cause
  7. craft — a skill
  8. root — of a word
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cell — in biology
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bass — low music
  15. cell — a phone
  16. lean — thin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. root — of a plant
  20. craft — boats
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. perch — the fish

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