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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · rash · root · kid · season · hand · plane · deal

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. perch — the fish
  6. hand — help
  7. rash — hasty
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. deal — to handle
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. kid — child
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. hand — in cards
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rash — a series
  20. plane — a tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. root — of a word
  24. kid — to tease

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