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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
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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: bear · saw · perch · sharp · rest · bound · prune · fall

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bear — the animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — the fish
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bound — certain
  11. fall — to drop
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bound — obliged
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. prune — to trim

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