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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. club — for dancing
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. ball — a great time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. club — a group
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. perch — the fish
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. row — a line
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. date — the fruit
  18. plane — a tool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. club — for golf
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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