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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rest — a break
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. row — a line
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. shower — rain
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mate — a friend
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. row — to paddle
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mate — to breed
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rest — what's left

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