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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. season — of the year
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. present — a gift
  5. firm — steady
  6. land — a country
  7. perch — the fish
  8. present — the time now
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. season — in sport
  11. firm — decided
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. dip — to sink
  15. firm — a company
  16. last — to go on
  17. land — to come down
  18. present — there
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. land — ground
  24. perch — for a bird

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