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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rule · field · face · rush · perch · trunk · mate

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. perch — the fish
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mate — to breed
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rush — hurry
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — farmland
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mate — a friend
  18. face — to point toward
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. field — a subject
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. face — part of the head
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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