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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bound — obliged
  6. date — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cue — a signal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cue — a hint
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fork — in a road
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bound — certain
  22. shower — rain
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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