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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rest — what's left
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rest — a break
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. content — the amount
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cap — a lid
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. content — happy
  19. cap — of ice
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rest — what's left
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fall — to drop

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