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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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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 · chest · face · leaves · perch · file · bear · track

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a tool
  5. face — to point toward
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bear — the animal
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. file — a line of people
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. file — a document
  13. track — a song
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. track — a path
  21. prune — to trim
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. chest — a box
  24. track — to keep track

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