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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. scale — in music
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. plane — a tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. root — the cause
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. root — of a word
  21. perch — the fish
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. root — of a plant

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