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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — of a plant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pop — music
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. row — a line
  11. pop — to visit
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. root — the cause
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pop — soda
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wave — of the sea

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