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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: row · pop · leaves · land · root · bound · perch · nail

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pop — to visit
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pop — soda
  8. root — of a plant
  9. land — a country
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. row — a line
  14. bound — obliged
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. land — ground
  17. row — to paddle
  18. land — to come down
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. perch — the fish

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