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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. shower — rain
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. band — a ring
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. shower — to wash
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. hand — help
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. band — a music group
  24. perch — the fish

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