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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: perch · root · rock · deal · foot · tube · net · last

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. deal — to handle
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rock — music
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. foot — a measure
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. net — in sport
  14. root — of a word
  15. net — after costs
  16. root — of a plant
  17. last — finally
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rock — a stone
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. root — the cause
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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