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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.

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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 · pit · deal · mark · bound · lie · trunk · field

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. deal — to handle
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bound — tied together
  9. field — a subject
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bound — obliged
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mark — a trace
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. field — farmland
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mark — a grade
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. field — for sport
  22. bound — certain
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. lie — an untruth

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