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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — in sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chip — for betting
  18. net — after costs
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. perch — the fish
  23. net — for catching
  24. wake — before a funeral

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