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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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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 · pound · field · perch · band · bat · mug · wake

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. root — the cause
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mug — a face
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wake — a trail
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — a subject
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. perch — the fish
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. band — a music group
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mug — a cup
  19. field — farmland
  20. band — a ring
  21. pound — a weight
  22. field — for sport
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. perch — for a bird

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