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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.

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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: root · mouse · stem · chest · perch · swing · spring · racket

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. swing — music
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spring — a coil
  5. root — the cause
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. root — of a word
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. perch — the fish
  12. swing — to play on
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. spring — the season
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. swing — in golf
  20. chest — a box
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. spring — of water
  24. racket — for tennis

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