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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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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: wave · press · perch · land · face · root · scale · deal

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. root — of a word
  9. press — to push
  10. scale — size or range
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. press — a publisher
  14. deal — to handle
  15. land — ground
  16. face — part of the head
  17. press — newspapers
  18. scale — in music
  19. root — of a plant
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. root — the cause
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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