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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: bass · root · prune · leaves · perch · stand · content · wound

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. prune — to trim
  3. root — of a word
  4. bass — low music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. content — happy
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stand — to bear
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. root — the cause
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. prune — to trim
  22. root — of a plant
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — the amount

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