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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 116 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. perch — the fish
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bat — the animal
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. content — the amount
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lie — to recline
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bat — in an idiom

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