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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tube — the underground
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. perch — the fish
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. tube — a container
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. hide — animal skin

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