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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: root · cell · bore · rest · date · bear · perch · wake

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. root — of a word
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cell — in biology
  5. perch — the fish
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bore — to drill
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bore — to tire
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. root — the cause
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bore — gave birth

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