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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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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. row — to paddle
  4. perch — the fish
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lie — to recline
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. scale — in music
  13. row — a line
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid

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