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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: can · staff · root · lie · perch · snap · toast · chair

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. perch — the fish
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. snap — to click
  5. root — of a plant
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. can — to be able to
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. can — a tin
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. toast — bread
  14. staff — a stick
  15. root — of a word
  16. chair — a leader
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. can — a tin
  19. staff — employees
  20. root — the cause
  21. staff — employees
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lie — to recline
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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