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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
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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: leaves · wind · sharp · vault · perch · field · prune · rock

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wind — moving air
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. field — farmland
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — a safe
  14. field — for sport
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. sharp — clever
  17. field — a subject
  18. prune — to trim
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. perch — the fish
  24. leaves — to go away

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