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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 124 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wind — moving air
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. net — for catching
  7. row — a line
  8. key — in music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. craft — a skill
  15. key — for a lock
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. prune — to trim
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. craft — boats
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mouse — the 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