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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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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: craft · date · pass · rest · land · racket · prune · perch

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. prune — to trim
  3. land — ground
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. land — to come down
  7. rest — what's left
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rest — a break
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. date — the fruit
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. land — a country
  17. pass — a permit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rest — what's left
  21. craft — a skill
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. craft — boats

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