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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: perch · land · band · leaves · nail · prune · bay · root

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. root — of a plant
  6. land — to come down
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. root — of a word
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. band — a music group
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. land — ground
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. root — the cause
  20. band — a ring
  21. perch — the fish
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. perch — for a bird

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