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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: kid · prune · stem · ball · nail · stick · row · perch

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. prune — to trim
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. prune — to trim
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ball — a dance
  9. kid — child
  10. ball — a great time
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stem — to come from
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. kid — to tease
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. row — a line
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. perch — the fish

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