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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. field — farmland
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spell — letters
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spell — magic
  16. root — the cause
  17. field — for sport
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — an injury
  22. field — a subject
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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