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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: scale · fork · present · perch · mine · firm · stem · root

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. scale — in music
  2. firm — steady
  3. root — of a word
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. present — there
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. firm — a company
  12. present — a gift
  13. root — the cause
  14. firm — decided
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stem — to come from
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. root — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. present — the time now
  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