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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
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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: cap · drill · date · field · present · perch · prune · bowl

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. field — a subject
  3. cap — of ice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. present — there
  6. drill — army training
  7. cap — a lid
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cap — a hat
  14. field — farmland
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. present — a gift
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. drill — a practice
  22. present — the time now
  23. field — for sport
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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