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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 116 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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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: perch · degree · straw · prune · club · saw · bore · wake

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wake — a trail
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. degree — from a university
  6. perch — the fish
  7. saw — the tool
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. degree — temperature
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. degree — an amount
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. club — for golf
  23. saw — the tool
  24. club — for dancing

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