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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. craft — boats
  3. prune — to trim
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. object — to protest
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stand — to bear
  11. present — the time now
  12. object — a thing
  13. cold — not warm
  14. prune — to trim
  15. object — an aim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. craft — a skill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. present — a gift
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. present — there

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