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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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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 · cabinet · perch · track · field · last · prune · lie

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. last — final
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. track — a path
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. prune — to trim
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. field — farmland
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — a subject
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — for sport
  19. perch — the fish
  20. last — finally
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. last — to go 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