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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as 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 — the cause
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. net — for catching
  6. root — of a plant
  7. net — in sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. root — of a word
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — to push
  15. face — to confront
  16. fall — the season
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. press — newspapers
  20. face — to point toward
  21. perch — the fish
  22. net — after costs
  23. press — a publisher
  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