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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pop — to visit
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pop — music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. staff — employees
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. capital — a city
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. staff — employees
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. track — to keep track
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. capital — money
  21. prune — to trim
  22. track — a path
  23. pop — soda
  24. track — a song

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