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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. prune — to trim
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. prune — to trim
  7. field — a subject
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. season — in sport
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. foot — a measure
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. field — farmland
  17. season — of the year
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. field — for sport

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