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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: field · hide · prune · cabinet · perch · stand · bark · pitch

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bark — to shout
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. field — farmland
  9. stand — to bear
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. field — for sport
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. field — a subject
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pitch — a sports field

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