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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. suit — clothes
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. band — a music group
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. band — a ring
  12. season — in sport
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. prune — to trim
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. suit — in cards
  21. season — of the year
  22. suit — to fit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cabinet — ministers

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