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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. prune — to trim
  2. cap — a lid
  3. spell — letters
  4. cap — a hat
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pop — to visit
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pop — music
  9. swing — music
  10. cap — of ice
  11. saw — the tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. swing — in golf
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. saw — the tool
  18. spell — magic
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pop — soda
  21. spell — a short time
  22. swing — to play on
  23. sharp — clever
  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