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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. band — a ring
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. file — a document
  6. board — a committee
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pit — in a race
  9. prune — to trim
  10. file — a tool
  11. season — of the year
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. band — a music group
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. board — to get on
  18. season — in sport
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pit — a hole
  21. file — a line of people
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. dip — to sink
  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