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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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468
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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. root — of a plant
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. lean — to bend
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spring — a coil
  8. root — of a word
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. lean — thin
  14. spring — of water
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spring — the season
  19. root — the cause
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cell — in biology
  24. tear — to rip

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