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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: wound · kid · perch · rest · pound · safe · lash · prune

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. prune — to trim
  5. kid — child
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pound — a weight
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rest — a break
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  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