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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 shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. prune — to trim
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. spell — magic
  6. tear — to rip
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spell — letters
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pop — music
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tear — from crying
  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