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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pit — a hole
  19. hand — help
  20. ball — a great time
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. content — happy
  23. prune — to trim
  24. content — the amount

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