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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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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. net — in sport
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. net — after costs
  13. prune — to trim
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wake — a trail
  17. chip — to eat
  18. net — for catching

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