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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: face · sharp · trunk · march · drill · leaves · perch · prune

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. sharp — clever
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. prune — to trim
  7. march — music
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. drill — the tool
  11. march — the month
  12. face — to point toward
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. march — the month
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. drill — army training
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. face — to confront
  23. prune — to trim
  24. face — part of the head

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