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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.

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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: field · fork · plane · fall · clip · perch · prune · lie

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fall — to drop
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — a subject
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lie — to recline
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. clip — a video
  18. plane — a tool
  19. field — for sport
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. field — farmland
  23. fall — the season
  24. fork — in a road

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