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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: drill · perch · staff · prune · chest · scale · temple · wound

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chest — a box
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. drill — the tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. drill — a practice
  9. chest — of your body
  10. drill — army training
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. perch — the fish
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. chest — of your body
  19. staff — employees
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. staff — employees
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. staff — a stick

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