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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: prune · spring · ground · chair · perch · squash · bulb · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ground — a position
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. squash — to crush
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bulb — for light
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ground — the earth
  18. spring — a coil
  19. lie — to recline
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. prune — to trim
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bulb — for light

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