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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: cell · tear · lean · root · perch · rock · chair · pound

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pound — a weight
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cell — a phone
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. root — of a plant
  12. chair — a leader
  13. lean — thin
  14. cell — in biology
  15. root — the cause
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lean — to bend
  18. tear — from crying
  19. root — of a word
  20. rock — music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. chair — a professorship

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