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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. firm — decided
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. clip — a video
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. prune — to trim
  14. season — in sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. season — of the year
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. saw — the tool
  21. firm — steady
  22. perch — the fish
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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