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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. can — a tin
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. band — a ring
  6. pound — a weight
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. race — a contest
  18. can — to be able to
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. race — humankind
  22. rock — music
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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