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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rash — hasty
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. chest — of your body
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chest — a box
  21. branch — a division
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rush — hurry

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