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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: net · root · cue · coach · kid · leaves · perch · content

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. net — after costs
  4. kid — to tease
  5. net — for catching
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cue — a signal
  8. net — in sport
  9. cue — a hint
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. root — the cause
  14. content — happy
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. root — of a word
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. content — the amount
  19. cue — for pool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. root — of a plant
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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