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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. track — to keep track
  3. season — in sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. track — a song
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. dip — to sink
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. track — a path
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. perch — the fish
  21. deal — to handle
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. plane — a tool

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