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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. prune — to trim
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. prune — to trim
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. club — for golf
  9. bound — tied together
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bound — obliged
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. club — for dancing
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bound — certain
  22. club — a group
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wind — moving air

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