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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. perch — the fish
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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