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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fork — in a road
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — to trim
  8. snap — to click
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. object — a thing
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. object — to protest
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. object — an aim
  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