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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. swing — to play on
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fork — in a road
  9. saw — the tool
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. swing — in golf
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. swing — music
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. clip — a video
  23. prune — to trim
  24. trunk — of a tree

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