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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. root — of a word
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spell — magic
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. squash — the sport
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. root — the cause
  14. squash — to crush
  15. spell — letters
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cold — an illness
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bulb — for light
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. spell — a short time

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