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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mate — to breed
  10. clip — to cut
  11. prune — to trim
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. clip — for paper
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. field — for sport
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. clip — a video
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cabinet — ministers

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