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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bound — tied together
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitch — completely
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rest — a break
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bound — obliged
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bound — certain

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