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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: row · game · perch · march · land · cabinet · prune · wake

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. land — to come down
  3. game — wild animals
  4. row — to paddle
  5. march — music
  6. land — a country
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wake — a trail
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. march — the month
  12. land — ground
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. game — a match
  15. prune — to trim
  16. march — the month
  17. row — a line
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — the fish
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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