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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. hand — in cards
  6. prune — to trim
  7. roll — a list
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. prune — to trim
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. field — for sport
  13. roll — a cake
  14. charge — in control
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. net — in sport
  17. charge — electricity
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. object — an aim
  20. field — farmland
  21. charge — a price
  22. perch — the fish
  23. field — a subject
  24. hand — help

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