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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 120 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. perch — the fish
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rush — hurry
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. deal — to handle
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pound — a weight
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. face — to confront
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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