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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bark — to shout
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bass — low music
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rush — hurry
  24. cabinet — ministers

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