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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. field — farmland
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. field — for sport
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. prune — to trim
  18. can — a tin
  19. field — a subject
  20. prune — to trim
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. perch — the fish

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