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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: perch · pop · root · arm · rule · calf · cold · pitcher

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pop — music
  3. root — of a plant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. root — the cause
  6. pop — soda
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. root — of a word
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pop — to visit
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cold — not warm

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