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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fall — the season
  6. net — in sport
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cap — of ice
  10. prune — to trim
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cap — a lid
  19. prune — to trim
  20. net — after costs
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fall — to drop
  24. net — for catching

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