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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. perch — the fish
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wind — moving air
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. root — the cause
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. perch — for a bird

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