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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 120 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: bark · prune · face · pound · saw · leaves · perch · court

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bark — to shout
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. court — of law
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. prune — to trim
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. prune — to trim
  22. face — to confront
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. perch — the fish

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