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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: prune · perch · cue · cap · hand · bore · field · trunk

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. field — farmland
  2. cue — a hint
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cue — for pool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. field — for sport
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. field — a subject
  14. cap — a hat
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — in cards
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hand — help
  23. cap — of ice
  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