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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: perch · prune · bay · dip · field · lie · can · root

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. prune — to trim
  4. can — a tin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. can — to be able to
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. dip — to sink
  16. field — for sport
  17. can — a tin
  18. root — of a word
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. root — of a plant
  21. field — a subject
  22. lie — to recline
  23. field — farmland
  24. root — the cause

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