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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. hide — animal skin
  2. spell — magic
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. root — the cause
  5. hand — help
  6. object — to protest
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. root — of a plant
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cell — a phone
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. object — a thing
  16. root — of a word
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cell — in biology
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. object — an aim
  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