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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. last — final
  2. bear — the animal
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. present — there
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. present — a gift
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. last — to go on
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. last — finally
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. present — the time now
  18. stand — to bear
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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