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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. perch — the fish
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. prune — to trim
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. staff — employees
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. staff — a stick
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — to trim
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. staff — employees
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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