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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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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: land · snap · dip · board · lie · perch · roll · root

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. land — ground
  3. perch — the fish
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. snap — to click
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. roll — a list
  8. land — to come down
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. board — a committee
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. dip — to sink
  17. root — the cause
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. board — to get on
  20. root — of a word
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. root — of a plant
  23. land — a country
  24. roll — a cake

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