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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: cold · firm · perch · can · march · jam · prune · nail

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. firm — steady
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. can — to be able to
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. can — a tin
  9. firm — a company
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. march — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. firm — decided
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. march — the month
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. march — the month
  19. cold — not warm
  20. prune — to trim
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. prune — to trim
  23. perch — the fish
  24. nail — on a finger

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