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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. perch — the fish
  10. fine — all right
  11. band — a ring
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. prune — to trim
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. fall — the season
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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