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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.

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: season · perch · suit · stem · rule · root · rock · band

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rule — a law
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rock — music
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. season — in sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. root — of a plant
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. root — the cause
  13. stem — to come from
  14. season — of the year
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. suit — to fit
  18. band — a music group
  19. rule — government
  20. root — of a word
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. suit — clothes
  23. band — a ring
  24. rock — a stone

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