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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: wound · roll · race · racket · cap · prune · wake · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. perch — the fish
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cap — of ice
  8. race — a contest
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — a trail
  13. prune — to trim
  14. roll — a list
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wound — an injury
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. cap — a hat
  22. race — humankind
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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