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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: bear · trunk · capital · prune · deal · ruler · perch · swing

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. deal — to handle
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bear — the animal
  10. capital — money
  11. swing — to play on
  12. perch — the fish
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. swing — in golf
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bear — the animal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. capital — a city
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. swing — music
  24. capital — a big letter

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