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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pop — soda
  4. bulb — for light
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. prune — to trim
  7. net — after costs
  8. chair — a leader
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pop — to visit
  11. row — a line
  12. squash — to crush
  13. prune — to trim
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pop — music
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bulb — for light
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. squash — the sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. net — in sport
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. row — to paddle

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