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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 116 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — after costs
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. object — to protest
  7. prune — to trim
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. game — wild animals
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. object — a thing
  18. game — a match
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. object — an aim
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. prune — to trim

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