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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bank — for money
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. last — to go on
  5. file — a document
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. file — a tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chair — a leader
  11. last — final
  12. cap — of ice
  13. last — finally
  14. cap — a hat
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. perch — the fish
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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