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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: perch · pass · row · kick · cell · prune · tube · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. row — a line
  5. rock — music
  6. tube — the underground
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — the fish
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pass — a permit
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. kick — in football
  20. rock — a stone
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cell — a phone
  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