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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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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: pit · track · prune · chest · drill · plane · foot · perch

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — a path
  4. foot — a measure
  5. drill — the tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — to keep track
  9. perch — the fish
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. chest — a box
  14. drill — a practice
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. drill — army training
  18. chest — of your body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pit — a hole
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. track — a song
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. prune — the fruit

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