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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. club — for golf
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wake — a trail
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. hand — help
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. hand — in cards

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