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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fall — the season
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fall — to drop
  8. deal — to handle
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. prune — to trim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. net — after costs
  16. snap — to click
  17. net — for catching
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. net — in sport
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bore — to drill

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