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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bear — the animal
  4. root — the cause
  5. bear — the animal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. lean — thin
  8. face — to confront
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stock — goods
  11. season — of the year
  12. root — of a word
  13. firm — a company
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. firm — steady
  16. face — part of the head
  17. season — in sport
  18. root — of a plant
  19. face — to point toward
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. season — to add flavour
  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