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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. land — ground
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. present — a gift
  5. tube — a container
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. land — a country
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. present — there
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. present — the time now
  14. season — in sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. board — to get on
  17. land — to come down
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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