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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.

Make a worksheet

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: root · face · season · content · scale · squash · trunk · perch

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. perch — the fish
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. content — happy
  5. root — the cause
  6. squash — to crush
  7. scale — size or range
  8. season — of the year
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. squash — the sport
  12. root — of a plant
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. face — to point toward
  15. root — of a word
  16. season — in sport
  17. content — the amount
  18. face — to confront
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. scale — in music
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. face — part of the head
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. scale — for weighing

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