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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: cabinet · game · dip · prune · land · mark · bore · perch

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. prune — to trim
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. dip — to sink
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. land — ground
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mark — a trace
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. dip — to dunk

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