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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: leaves · perch · root · file · last · chair · wave · lash

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. file — a document
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. last — final
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. root — the cause
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. chair — a leader
  14. last — to go on
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. root — of a plant
  18. file — a tool
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. last — finally
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. perch — the fish
  23. root — of a word
  24. file — a line of people

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