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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. march — the month
  4. current — happening now
  5. march — music
  6. perch — the fish
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. march — the month
  9. clip — to cut
  10. current — electric
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. clip — a video
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. current — of water
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. foot — a measure
  21. clip — for paper
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — a trainer
  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