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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pound — a weight
  3. rule — a law
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rule — government
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. clip — for paper
  9. prune — to trim
  10. charge — in control
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. clip — a video
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. clip — to cut
  18. prune — to trim

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