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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. perch — the fish
  5. track — a song
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. clip — a video
  8. suit — in cards
  9. deal — to handle
  10. suit — to fit
  11. mug — to rob
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mug — a cup
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. track — a path
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. clip — for paper
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. track — to keep track
  22. clip — to cut
  23. spring — a coil
  24. suit — clothes

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