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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 120 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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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 · rest · perch · pitch · row · cabinet · wake · stand

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. row — a line
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rest — a break
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. perch — the fish
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rest — what's left
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rest — what's left

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