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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bank — for money
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. game — a match
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ball — a dance
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fall — the season
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bank — for money
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bank — of a river
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — wild animals

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