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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fork — in a road
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bank — for money
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. prune — to trim
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bank — for money
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. plane — a tool

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