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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mate — to breed
  4. prune — to trim
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bound — obliged
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rash — hasty
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bound — certain
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. current — electric
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. arm — part of the body

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