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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. charge — in control
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. drill — a practice
  9. shower — rain
  10. wind — moving air
  11. drill — the tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. shower — to wash
  14. charge — electricity
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitch — completely
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. charge — a price
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. prune — to trim

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