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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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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: toast · firm · prune · capital · present · perch · hide · board

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. firm — a company
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. prune — to trim
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. perch — the fish
  14. capital — a city
  15. toast — bread
  16. present — a gift
  17. board — a committee
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. present — there
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. present — the time now

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