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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. can — a tin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. track — a path
  7. can — a tin
  8. shower — rain
  9. prune — to trim
  10. shower — to wash
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — the season
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. track — a song
  15. spring — a coil
  16. sharp — clever
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. spring — of water
  19. can — to be able to
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. track — to keep track
  24. perch — the fish

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