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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. foot — a measure
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ball — a dance
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pop — music
  7. fine — high quality
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pop — to visit
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. band — a music group
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fine — all right
  19. ball — a great time
  20. band — a ring
  21. pop — soda
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. prune — to trim

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