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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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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: perch · face · lash · court · mate · prune · toast · kid

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. kid — child
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mate — a friend
  6. prune — to trim
  7. toast — bread
  8. mate — to breed
  9. court — for sport
  10. mate — a partner
  11. court — of a king
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. face — to confront
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kid — to tease
  17. perch — the fish
  18. face — part of the head
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. court — of law
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. face — to point toward
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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