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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: prune · content · bark · perch · mug · bear · sharp · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. content — happy
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. perch — the fish
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mug — a face
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mug — to rob
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bark — to shout
  23. content — the amount
  24. bear — to put up with

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