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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: perch · cell · rush · wind · pitcher · root · bear · chair

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. root — the cause
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wind — moving air
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. root — of a word
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cell — in biology

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