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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. current — electric
  3. prune — to trim
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. perch — the fish
  17. ball — a dance
  18. current — of water
  19. lie — to recline
  20. current — happening now
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. jam — a tight spot

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