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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tube — a container
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. tube — the underground
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. spell — magic
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. spell — letters
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. perch — the fish
  24. prune — to trim

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