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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. row — a line
  5. root — the cause
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. perch — the fish
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. net — after costs
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. net — for catching
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. net — in sport
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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