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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: clip · perch · bay · can · prune · spring · fan · suit

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. suit — in cards
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — the season
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — a coil
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. clip — a video
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. spring — of water
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. clip — to cut

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