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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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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: cold · perch · root · pit · foot · plane · wave · land

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. root — of a plant
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pit — in a race
  4. root — of a word
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. foot — a measure
  8. land — a country
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cold — an illness
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. land — to come down
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. perch — the fish
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cold — not warm
  23. root — the cause
  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