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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. file — a tool
  4. board — a committee
  5. file — a document
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. can — a tin
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. pound — a weight
  11. can — a tin
  12. board — to get on
  13. face — to confront
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. file — a line of people
  17. face — to point toward
  18. prune — to trim
  19. last — to go on
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. face — part of the head
  23. prune — to trim
  24. perch — for a bird

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