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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 · leaves · bore · roll · perch · cell · track · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. band — a music group
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cell — in biology
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. track — a song
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. prune — to trim
  16. track — a path
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. roll — a list
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. roll — a cake
  23. perch — the fish
  24. track — to keep track

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