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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.

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: tube · root · nail · cap · season · leaves · cold · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cap — of ice
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cold — an illness
  5. root — of a word
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. root — the cause
  8. season — in sport
  9. cold — not warm
  10. root — of a plant
  11. tube — a container
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tube — the underground
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. season — of the year

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