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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · can · bay · perch · bound · game · prune · fall

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. game — a match
  4. fall — the season
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bound — certain
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bound — tied together
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. prune — to trim
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — to be able to
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — obliged
  24. prune — to trim

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