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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bulb — for light
  3. prune — to trim
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. clip — for paper
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. perch — for a bird

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