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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: court · perch · saw · wave · chip · prune · root · chest

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. court — of law
  3. chest — a box
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. root — of a word
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. root — of a plant
  21. perch — the fish
  22. root — the cause
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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