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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: lie · perch · rule · mine · can · rash · pop · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pop — soda
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lie — to recline
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rule — government
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pop — music
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rule — a law
  13. can — a tin
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pop — to visit
  16. can — a tin
  17. rash — a series
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mine — an explosive

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