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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 116 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: root · bat · bass · mug · deal · staff · perch · lean

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lean — thin
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bat — the animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. mug — a face
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. root — of a word
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mug — a cup
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mug — to rob
  20. deal — to handle
  21. root — the cause
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. staff — employees
  24. bass — the fish

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