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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · perch · mine · bat · straw · kick · staff · rush

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bat — the animal
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mine — for digging
  7. kick — in football
  8. perch — the fish
  9. staff — employees
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. staff — employees
  14. rush — hurry
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. perch — for a bird

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