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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. perch — the fish
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. prune — to trim
  5. march — the month
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. track — to keep track
  8. march — the month
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. track — a song
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. track — a path
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. march — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. perch — for a bird

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