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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: perch · spring · lie · wind · pitch · roll · court · root

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a plant
  5. spring — a coil
  6. court — of a king
  7. roll — a cake
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lie — to recline
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. spring — of water
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. root — of a word
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. spring — the season
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. court — of law
  23. roll — a list
  24. perch — the fish

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