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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bass — the fish
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. degree — an amount
  5. squash — the sport
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bass — low music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. squash — to crush
  18. perch — the fish
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mate — a friend
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mate — a partner

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