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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 116 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 ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — to come down
  4. swing — music
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. prune — to trim
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — a country
  9. swing — in golf
  10. land — ground
  11. swing — to play on
  12. clip — a video
  13. craft — a skill
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. perch — the fish
  18. clip — to cut
  19. craft — boats
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rush — hurry
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. clip — for paper

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