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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: stick · pitch · tear · foot · perch · ground · can · root

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pitch — completely
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. perch — the fish
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. tear — from crying
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tear — from crying
  14. can — a tin
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. root — of a word
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tear — to rip
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. can — a tin
  24. perch — for a bird

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