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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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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 · jam · chest · root · can · bound · rock · pitcher

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. root — of a plant
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rock — music
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chest — a box
  10. can — a tin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. rock — a stone
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bound — obliged
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — of a word
  20. bound — certain
  21. root — the cause
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bound — tied together
  24. can — to be able to

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