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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: can · pitcher · club · row · stem · file · root · perch

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. row — a line
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. root — of a word
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. row — to paddle
  13. root — the cause
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. root — of a plant
  17. can — to be able to
  18. club — for golf
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stem — to come from
  22. file — a document
  23. club — a group
  24. pitcher — a jug

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