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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lie — to recline
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. charge — electricity
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wound — an injury
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. charge — in control
  16. lean — thin
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. spell — magic
  20. charge — a price
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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