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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bulb — for light
  3. squash — to crush
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cap — a hat
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. capital — money
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. degree — temperature
  16. perch — the fish
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cap — of ice
  21. prune — to trim
  22. capital — a city
  23. squash — the sport
  24. capital — a big letter

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