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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rest — a break
  3. prune — to trim
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. prune — to trim
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pit — a hole
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. rest — what's left
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pit — in a race
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pop — music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pop — soda

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