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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
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: ball · fine · perch · fall · ground · prune · stem · trunk

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ground — a position
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fine — all right
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stem — to come from
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ball — a dance
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fall — the season
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fine — high quality

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