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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: foot · trunk · net · jam · root · snap · perch · deal

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. net — after costs
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. foot — a measure
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. snap — to click
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. root — the cause
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. root — of a plant
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. deal — to handle
  19. net — in sport
  20. root — of a word
  21. net — for catching
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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