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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rock — a stone
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. perch — the fish
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. tube — the underground
  11. file — a document
  12. clip — a video
  13. tube — a container
  14. file — a tool
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bore — to drill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. season — of the year
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. file — a line of people

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