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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 · perch · straw · bound · mug · last · wind · craft

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bound — tied together
  6. prune — to trim
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bound — certain
  10. craft — boats
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mug — a face
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mug — a cup
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. last — to go on
  21. craft — a skill
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wind — moving air
  24. last — finally

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