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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bore — to drill
  9. scale — size or range
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. drill — a practice
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bore — to tire
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. drill — army training
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. scale — in music
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. racket — a loud noise

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