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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 · prune · firm · pound · root · jam · shower · wind

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. firm — decided
  3. pound — a weight
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. root — of a plant
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wind — moving air
  11. firm — steady
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. root — of a word
  15. perch — the fish
  16. shower — to wash
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — rain
  19. firm — a company
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. root — the cause
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. prune — the fruit

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