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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: tear · prune · perch · object · bear · wave · present · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. present — the time now
  5. perch — the fish
  6. prune — to trim
  7. present — a gift
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. object — a thing
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. present — there
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bear — the animal
  18. object — an aim
  19. tear — to rip
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. object — to protest
  24. bear — the animal

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