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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. prune — to trim
  5. snap — to click
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rest — a break
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bass — the fish
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bass — low music
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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