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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. root — of a word
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pit — in a race
  9. land — to come down
  10. root — the cause
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. perch — the fish
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pit — a hole
  17. land — a country
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. root — of a plant
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — for digging
  23. tear — from crying
  24. land — ground

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