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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. march — the month
  3. tear — from crying
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — hasty
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tear — to rip
  13. object — a thing
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pound — a weight
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rash — a series
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. object — an aim

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