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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pop — music
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. spell — letters
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. perch — the fish
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. board — a committee
  9. branch — a division
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spell — magic
  12. saw — the tool
  13. board — to get on
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — crushed
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ground — a position

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