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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. prune — to trim
  4. roll — a list
  5. bore — to drill
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bore — to tire
  21. prune — to trim
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. last — to go on
  24. perch — for a bird

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