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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pop — to visit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pass — a permit
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a tool
  13. pop — music
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — the amount
  17. file — a document
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pop — soda
  21. content — happy
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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