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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. perch — the fish
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. root — the cause
  5. suit — clothes
  6. root — of a word
  7. content — happy
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — of a plant
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. row — to paddle
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ground — the earth
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. row — a line
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. content — the amount
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — a quarrel

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