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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 116 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mug — a face
  3. field — farmland
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. field — for sport
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bark — to shout
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. field — a subject

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