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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 116 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: prune · nail · march · can · stick · sharp · perch · court

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. court — of law
  3. perch — the fish
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. sharp — clever
  10. can — a tin
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. court — of a king
  15. march — music
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. can — to be able to
  22. prune — to trim
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — for sport

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