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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. can — a tin
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. can — a tin
  6. court — for sport
  7. row — to paddle
  8. court — of law
  9. root — of a word
  10. can — to be able to
  11. perch — the fish
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. row — a line
  14. root — the cause
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. prune — to trim
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. root — of a plant
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. court — of a king
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wax — to grow

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