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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 120 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: sharp · root · hide · perch · march · current · deal · chest

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. perch — the fish
  4. march — music
  5. current — of water
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. root — the cause
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. march — the month
  18. current — happening now
  19. deal — to handle
  20. root — of a word
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. current — electric
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hide — animal skin

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