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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rush — hurry
  11. face — to confront
  12. wake — a trail
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ball — a great time
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. ball — a dance
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

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