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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 120 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 · last · row · bound · root · racket · tear · fan

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. row — to paddle
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. root — the cause
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. tear — from crying
  11. last — to go on
  12. root — of a word
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. last — final
  15. row — a line
  16. perch — the fish
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — finally
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bound — tied together
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. root — of a plant
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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