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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. craft — boats
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bark — to shout
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. prune — to trim
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. craft — a skill
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fork — in a road

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