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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. lean — thin
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pit — a hole
  8. perch — the fish
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ground — a position
  17. pit — in a race
  18. clip — a video
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rest — a break
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. ground — the earth

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