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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: perch · roll · prune · bound · track · ball · stock · cap

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. prune — to trim
  3. track — a song
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ball — a dance
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cap — a hat
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bound — certain
  13. roll — a list
  14. cap — a lid
  15. track — to keep track
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cap — of ice
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. track — a path
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. perch — for a bird
  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