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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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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 · net · present · mate · hide · nail · row · perch

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. perch — the fish
  3. prune — to trim
  4. net — after costs
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. present — there
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. prune — to trim
  10. present — the time now
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. present — a gift
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. row — to paddle
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — to breed
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — a line

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