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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: perch · root · land · deal · dip · straw · bound · file

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. file — a document
  4. land — a country
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. bound — obliged
  10. dip — to sink
  11. land — ground
  12. root — the cause
  13. perch — the fish
  14. deal — to handle
  15. file — a tool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bound — certain
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bound — tied together
  21. land — to come down
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. straw — dry grass
  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