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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
468
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: present · perch · fan · mate · leaves · season · shower · prune

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. present — a gift
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. shower — to wash
  6. prune — to trim
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. season — of the year
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mate — to breed
  11. perch — the fish
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. present — the time now
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. season — in sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mate — a friend
  23. shower — rain
  24. present — there

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