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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 120 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 · snap · prune · court · bore · ground · mate · stem

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. court — of a king
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. court — of law
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mate — a partner
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. ground — a position
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. court — for sport
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mate — to breed
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stem — to come from
  23. snap — to click
  24. mate — a friend

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