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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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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: pit · last · present · swing · prune · rush · calf · perch

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. prune — to trim
  3. swing — music
  4. last — final
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pit — in a race
  8. present — the time now
  9. last — finally
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. perch — the fish
  13. last — to go on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rush — hurry
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. present — there
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. present — a gift
  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