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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 116 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. last — finally
  4. root — of a plant
  5. last — to go on
  6. perch — the fish
  7. root — of a word
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. race — humankind
  10. squash — the sport
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. root — the cause
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. race — a contest
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. snap — to click
  21. last — final
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wind — moving air
  24. squash — to crush

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