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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. band — a music group
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bass — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. band — a ring
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. net — for catching
  21. bass — low music
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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