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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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Word bank
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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. staff — a stick
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. content — happy
  11. tear — to rip
  12. prune — to trim
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. staff — employees
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. content — the amount
  24. staff — employees

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