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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 116 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. root — of a word
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. last — final
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. root — the cause
  10. tear — from crying
  11. plane — a tool
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. spring — the season
  14. last — to go on
  15. root — of a plant
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. last — finally
  23. perch — the fish
  24. plane — in geometry

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