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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rush — hurry
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pound — a weight
  5. can — to be able to
  6. cold — not warm
  7. can — a tin
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cue — a hint
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. can — a tin
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. calf — a young animal

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