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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. net — for catching
  3. root — of a word
  4. spell — a short time
  5. net — in sport
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. spell — letters
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chip — for betting
  12. perch — the fish
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rock — music
  17. net — after costs
  18. spell — magic
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stem — to come from
  24. perch — for a bird

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