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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: bore · band · deal · cell · staff · perch · fan · prune

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. deal — to handle
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. staff — a stick
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. staff — employees
  8. prune — to trim
  9. staff — employees
  10. bore — to tire
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a music group
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. band — a ring
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. perch — the fish
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. cell — in a prison
  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