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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: fan · last · saw · court · lean · kid · root · perch

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. court — for sport
  3. root — of a plant
  4. lean — to bend
  5. last — finally
  6. perch — the fish
  7. root — the cause
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. kid — child
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. last — final
  13. kid — to tease
  14. court — of a king
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lean — thin
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — to go on
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. court — of law
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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