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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: dip · pitcher · perch · root · lie · prune · cell · snap

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. snap — to click
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. prune — to trim
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lie — to recline
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. root — the cause
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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