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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: fine · ground · bark · game · prune · perch · season · lash

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ground — the earth
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bark — to shout
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. ground — crushed
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. season — of the year
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ground — a position
  22. fine — all right
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fine — high quality

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