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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pass — a permit
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. spell — a short time
  5. dip — to sink
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. spell — magic
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — the fish
  20. kid — child
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. spell — letters

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