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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. march — the month
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. perch — the fish
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pop — soda
  10. field — farmland
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. staff — employees
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. land — a country
  17. march — the month
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. staff — a stick
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — music

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