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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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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 · vault · field · cap · squash · arm · trunk · perch

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. squash — the sport
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. prune — to trim
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. field — farmland
  16. cap — a lid
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. field — for sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. vault — a safe

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