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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. prune — to trim
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. current — of water
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rock — music
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bulb — for light
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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