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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: tear · foot · perch · land · bark · cap · key · root

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. root — the cause
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. root — of a word
  11. land — a country
  12. root — of a plant
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cap — a lid
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cap — of ice
  17. key — the most important part
  18. foot — a measure
  19. key — in music
  20. cap — a hat
  21. tear — from crying
  22. land — ground
  23. bark — to shout
  24. tear — to rip

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