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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. perch — the fish
  7. foot — a measure
  8. root — of a plant
  9. field — farmland
  10. spring — of water
  11. field — for sport
  12. root — of a word
  13. capital — money
  14. spring — the season
  15. capital — a city
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — to drop
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. spring — a coil
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. field — a subject
  24. capital — a big letter

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