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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: perch · jam · root · temple · pitch · capital · bark · straw

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. pitch — completely
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. root — the cause
  8. bark — to shout
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. root — of a word
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. capital — a city
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. capital — money
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. temple — side of the head

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