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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · root · perch · march · face · pound · pitcher · mine

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. root — of a plant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mine — for digging
  6. land — a country
  7. face — to confront
  8. land — to come down
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. march — the month
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. perch — the fish
  15. march — music
  16. pound — a weight
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. land — ground
  20. root — of a word
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — for a bird

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