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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. band — a music group
  3. wound — an injury
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — the fish
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. band — a ring
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. net — after costs
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — in sport
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. net — for catching
  24. cell — a phone

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