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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pop — soda
  4. shower — rain
  5. drill — army training
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — a path
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pop — music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mark — a grade
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. prune — to trim
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. perch — the fish
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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