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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. club — for dancing
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. season — of the year
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bass — low music
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. season — in sport
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. fan — a supporter

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