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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. track — a path
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spell — magic
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. season — of the year
  9. track — a song
  10. row — a line
  11. spell — letters
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pass — a permit
  14. spell — a short time
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bulb — for light
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. season — in sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. perch — the fish

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