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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: bore · row · club · perch · can · rash · prune · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. prune — to trim
  3. can — a tin
  4. last — finally
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. club — for golf
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rash — hasty
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bore — to drill
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rash — a series
  13. club — a group
  14. can — to be able to
  15. last — to go on
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. can — a tin
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. club — for dancing
  20. row — a line
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bore — to tire
  23. prune — to trim
  24. perch — the fish

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