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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. perch — the fish
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bound — obliged
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bound — certain
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bound — tied together
  23. face — to confront
  24. fork — in a road

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