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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — a coil
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. spring — the season
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — the fish
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. spring — of water
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. hand — help
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. saw — the tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pound — a weight

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