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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 116 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. last — finally
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. last — final
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cue — a signal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. last — to go on
  17. clip — to cut
  18. perch — the fish
  19. clip — a video
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. fine — high quality
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fine — all right

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