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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 116 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. object — a thing
  4. tube — a container
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bank — of a river
  8. tube — the underground
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. bank — for money
  12. last — to go on
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — an aim
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. object — to protest
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. perch — for a bird

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