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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. shower — to wash
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. track — a path
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. prune — to trim
  9. perch — the fish
  10. track — a song
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. branch — a division
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — rain
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. craft — boats
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. track — to keep track
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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