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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: wound · perch · cabinet · stem · pitcher · root · bore · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wound — an injury
  3. root — of a word
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. root — of a plant
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pop — soda
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pop — music
  20. root — the cause
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bore — to drill

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