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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. craft — boats
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. row — a line
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rash — hasty
  8. object — an aim
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. object — to protest
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. object — a thing
  18. bore — to tire
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bore — to drill
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rash — a series
  23. bear — the animal
  24. craft — a skill

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