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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: sharp · hand · foot · mate · perch · board · stick · root

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. root — the cause
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — to breed
  5. root — of a word
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mate — a partner
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. hand — help
  13. mate — a friend
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. board — a committee
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. board — to get on
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. perch — the fish
  23. sharp — clever
  24. root — of a plant

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