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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. saw — the tool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rash — hasty
  7. ground — crushed
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ground — the earth
  11. saw — the tool
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ground — a position
  15. cap — of ice
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cap — a hat
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rash — a series
  21. cap — a lid
  22. prune — to trim
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rash — on the skin

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