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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. march — music
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. scale — size or range
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rule — a law
  8. march — the month
  9. scale — in music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rule — government
  13. prune — to trim
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bulb — for light
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. deal — to handle
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. prune — to trim
  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