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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. lean — to bend
  3. prune — to trim
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. shower — to wash
  10. court — of a king
  11. cell — in biology
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. court — of law
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lean — thin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. shower — rain
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. court — for sport
  23. lean — to rest against
  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