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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 124 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. season — of the year
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bulb — for light
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cold — an illness
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. season — in sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. can — a tin
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. can — to be able to
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cold — not warm
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. perch — the fish
  24. can — a tin

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