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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: current · drill · bark · field · perch · key · coach · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. field — for sport
  6. current — of water
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. key — the most important part
  10. prune — to trim
  11. key — in music
  12. drill — a practice
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. key — for a lock
  15. drill — the tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. current — happening now
  19. field — farmland
  20. current — electric
  21. bark — to shout
  22. field — a subject
  23. drill — army training
  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