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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mark — a grade
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mug — a cup
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — letters
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mark — a trace
  19. spell — magic
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pitcher — a jug

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