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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: pop · kick · capital · root · perch · stick · season · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. file — a tool
  4. kick — in football
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pop — soda
  7. root — of a plant
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. root — the cause
  11. season — of the year
  12. root — of a word
  13. pop — music
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. perch — the fish
  19. season — in sport
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. file — a document
  23. pop — to visit
  24. kick — a thrill

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