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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · stand · jam · racket · band · fall · prune · squash

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. perch — the fish
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. band — a music group
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. prune — to trim
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fall — the season
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. stand — to bear
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fall — to drop
  23. band — a ring
  24. fall — to drop

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