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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. root — the cause
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bass — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — to trim
  8. drill — a practice
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. drill — army training
  18. bass — low music
  19. root — of a word
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. perch — the fish

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