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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 116 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: cap · last · perch · cold · wave · root · present · plane

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. cold — an illness
  6. last — final
  7. root — the cause
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. present — the time now
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. cap — of ice
  12. root — of a plant
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. root — of a word
  15. plane — a tool
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cold — not warm
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cap — a hat

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