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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. shower — rain
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bound — obliged
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bound — certain
  10. perch — the fish
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. root — of a plant
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. shower — to wash
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bound — tied together
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. root — the cause
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. root — of a word

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