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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rock — a stone
  3. perch — the fish
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. field — farmland
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stem — to come from
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. fork — in a road
  13. track — a path
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. track — a song
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rock — music
  22. clip — a video
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. track — to keep track

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