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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. perch — the fish
  9. row — a line
  10. bore — to tire
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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