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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. march — the month
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. march — music
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stem — to come from
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — the fish
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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