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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · season · perch · lean · rock · pit · face · clip

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rock — music
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pit — in a race
  8. season — of the year
  9. rock — a stone
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lean — to bend
  16. face — to point toward
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. prune — to trim
  19. face — to confront
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. face — part of the head
  23. clip — a video
  24. perch — the fish

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