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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.

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: root · stem · file · perch · mark · fan · branch · wound

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wound — an injury
  3. file — a document
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. root — of a plant
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wound — an injury
  12. perch — the fish
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. file — a tool
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. file — a line of people
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — the cause
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mark — a trace

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