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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rock — music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — hurry
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. perch — the fish
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rock — a stone
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. swing — in golf

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