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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. perch — the fish
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — goods
  9. object — an aim
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — employees
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. stock — shares
  15. bass — the fish
  16. hand — in cards
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hand — help
  19. bass — low music
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. staff — a stick

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