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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. capital — a city
  4. firm — steady
  5. root — the cause
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. saw — the tool
  11. root — of a word
  12. capital — money
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. dip — to sink
  15. firm — a company
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. root — of a plant
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. saw — the tool
  22. perch — the fish
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. firm — decided

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