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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.

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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: prune · bore · kick · hide · perch · board · straw · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. perch — the fish
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. board — a committee
  8. bore — to tire
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bore — to drill
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. prune — to trim
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. kick — in football
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. board — to get on

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