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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · mark · wound · chair · perch · stem · rush · root

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mark — a trace
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. root — of a word
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. chair — a leader
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rush — hurry
  22. root — the cause
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rush — to hurry

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