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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. prune — to trim
  3. present — there
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. present — a gift
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rest — a break
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — to protest
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. object — an aim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pop — music
  17. present — the time now
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pop — soda
  22. object — a thing
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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