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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. shower — rain
  4. bulb — for light
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. shower — to wash
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — of the year
  13. band — a ring
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bulb — for light
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. season — in sport
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wound — an injury
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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