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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: perch · ball · mouse · prune · trunk · patient · field · wave

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. prune — to trim
  8. field — farmland
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. perch — the fish
  11. ball — a great time
  12. field — for sport
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. ball — a dance
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. mouse — for a computer

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