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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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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: leaves · perch · root · wound · racket · cell · game · foot

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cell — a phone
  9. game — a match
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wound — an injury
  14. root — the cause
  15. game — wild animals
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wound — an injury
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. racket — a loud noise

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