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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. prune — to trim
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wind — moving air
  7. shower — to wash
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. plane — a tool
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spring — a coil
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. perch — the fish
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. prune — to trim
  24. trunk — of a car

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