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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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Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — temperature
  8. perch — the fish
  9. spell — a short time
  10. degree — an amount
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rush — hurry
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spell — letters
  20. lean — thin
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spell — magic
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. degree — from a university

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