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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pound — a weight
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. spring — of water
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. perch — the fish
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. spring — the season
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. last — final
  22. root — of a word
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rock — music

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