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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: rush · bat · prune · perch · toast · sharp · spell · patient

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. toast — bread
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. spell — letters
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bat — the animal
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spell — a short time
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. sharp — clever
  18. spell — magic
  19. rush — hurry
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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