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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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Word bank
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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. perch — the fish
  7. craft — a skill
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cell — a phone
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. craft — boats
  13. root — of a plant
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fork — in a road
  23. scale — in music
  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