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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mate — to breed
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wound — an injury
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mate — a friend
  19. perch — the fish
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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