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

Word bank: key · stand · chair · fork · perch · root · stick · cold

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fork — in a road
  4. root — the cause
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stand — to bear
  11. key — the most important part
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. key — in music
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cold — an illness
  24. stand — on your feet

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