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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fine — high quality
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. field — for sport
  7. fine — all right
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lean — to bend
  11. prune — to trim
  12. perch — the fish
  13. tube — the underground
  14. foot — a measure
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lean — thin
  22. tube — a container
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. lean — to rest against

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