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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. prune — to trim
  6. season — in sport
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fork — in a road

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