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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 120 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. firm — decided
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wound — an injury
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bass — low music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fine — high quality
  19. firm — steady
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fine — all right
  22. tube — the underground
  23. firm — a company
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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