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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · kick · perch · squash · cap · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. squash — the sport
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rash — hasty
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cap — a hat
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rash — a series
  14. root — the cause
  15. kick — in football
  16. cap — of ice
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the vegetable

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