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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. row — a line
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. ground — crushed
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — to paddle
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rest — what's left
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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