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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. perch — the fish
  3. plane — a tool
  4. current — of water
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. race — a contest
  9. fall — the season
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rush — hurry
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. race — humankind
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. current — electric
  17. fall — to drop
  18. scale — in music
  19. race — the arms race
  20. current — happening now
  21. fall — to drop
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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