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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. perch — the fish
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bulb — for light
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spell — magic
  12. root — the cause
  13. spell — a short time
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. face — to confront
  16. spell — letters
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. root — of a word
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. root — of a plant
  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