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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: prune · court · suit · field · rash · fork · saw · perch

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. prune — to trim
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — clothes
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rash — hasty
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fork — in a road
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. saw — the tool
  11. court — of law
  12. saw — the tool
  13. prune — to trim
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. suit — to fit
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. perch — the fish
  21. field — for sport
  22. court — for sport
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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