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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. spring — of water
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pound — a weight
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bass — low music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — in sport
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. season — of the year
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. pound — to hit hard

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