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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. stand — to bear
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. object — a thing
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. net — in sport
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. net — for catching
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. net — after costs
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. perch — the fish
  22. object — to protest
  23. perch — for a bird
  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