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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 120 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: present · bat · season · root · perch · sharp · bound · object

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. sharp — clever
  5. present — the time now
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. season — in sport
  8. root — of a word
  9. season — of the year
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bound — obliged
  12. root — of a plant
  13. object — to protest
  14. present — a gift
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. object — an aim
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bound — certain
  19. present — there
  20. bound — tied together
  21. root — the cause
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. object — a thing
  24. perch — the fish

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