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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cap — a lid
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. prune — to trim
  7. march — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cap — of ice
  11. perch — the fish
  12. march — the month
  13. cold — an illness
  14. face — to point toward
  15. march — the month
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cap — a hat
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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