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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. season — of the year
  5. suit — to fit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. land — to come down
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bat — the animal
  13. root — of a word
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. land — a country
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. land — ground
  19. season — in sport
  20. suit — in cards
  21. root — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. root — the cause
  24. fan — a supporter

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