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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: snap · patient · prune · net · file · saw · spell · perch

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spell — magic
  4. file — a tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — to trim
  8. net — after costs
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. perch — the fish
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. net — in sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a document
  18. saw — the tool
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. file — a line of people
  24. patient — a sick person

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