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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. saw — the tool
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. dip — to sink
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lean — thin
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — a match
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. lean — to bend
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pop — to visit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. game — wild animals
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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