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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. perch — the fish
  3. last — finally
  4. track — a path
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. track — to keep track
  8. last — to go on
  9. squash — the sport
  10. track — a song
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. press — a publisher
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. last — final
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. prune — to trim

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