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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
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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: bear · saw · perch · stand · pitcher · fan · content · root

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. perch — the fish
  5. stand — to bear
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. root — the cause
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — the amount
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. root — of a word
  19. content — happy
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. root — of a plant
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. saw — the tool

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