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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. staff — employees
  3. bear — the animal
  4. season — in sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. root — of a plant
  7. season — of the year
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. root — the cause
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bear — the animal
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. perch — the fish
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rash — a series
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — hasty
  22. staff — a stick
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. root — of a word

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