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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: game · pop · bark · perch · leaves · prune · fan · racket

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pop — to visit
  11. game — a match
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. prune — to trim
  16. game — wild animals
  17. perch — the fish
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. leaves — to go away

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