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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: trunk · pass · ground · object · prune · band · perch · leaves

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pass — a permit
  4. band — a ring
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. object — a thing
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ground — crushed
  14. perch — the fish
  15. band — a music group
  16. object — to protest
  17. prune — to trim
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. object — an aim
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pass — to spend time

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