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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: present · snap · trunk · perch · spring · lean · sharp · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. lean — thin
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. snap — to click
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. present — there
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. present — the time now
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. prune — to trim
  18. present — a gift
  19. sharp — clever
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. perch — the fish
  22. lean — to bend
  23. spring — of water
  24. perch — for a bird

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