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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: lie · pitcher · rash · trunk · track · prune · ground · perch

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rash — hasty
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. perch — the fish
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rash — a series
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. track — a song
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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