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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 116 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 · drill · mark · prune · row · root · dip · stick

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mark — a grade
  4. prune — to trim
  5. perch — the fish
  6. row — a line
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. root — the cause
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — a practice
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. root — of a word
  17. drill — the tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mark — a trace
  21. root — of a plant
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. drill — army training
  24. dip — to sink

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