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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · club · bulb · perch · pass · leaves · ground · court

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. root — the cause
  3. club — for golf
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ground — a position
  6. court — for sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. ground — crushed
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. club — for dancing
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. court — of law
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. club — a group
  17. perch — the fish
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pass — a permit
  21. court — of a king
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. leaves — lets stay

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