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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — after costs
  3. season — of the year
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. net — for catching
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. spell — a short time
  11. foot — a measure
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. net — in sport
  16. perch — the fish
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. cap — a hat
  22. prune — to trim
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. season — in sport

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