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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 120 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ground — crushed
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pop — music
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. board — a committee
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. tear — from crying
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. chest — of your body
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. chest — a box
  24. board — to get on

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