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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. spring — the season
  4. perch — the fish
  5. prune — to trim
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fine — all right
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. can — a tin
  18. fine — high quality
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spring — of water
  21. can — a tin
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fine — a penalty
  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