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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 · nail · march · vault · game · track · perch · chair

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. game — wild animals
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. track — a song
  6. vault — a safe
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. prune — to trim
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. prune — to trim
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. game — a match
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. march — the month
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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