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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. perch — the fish
  4. season — of the year
  5. press — a publisher
  6. object — a thing
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. press — to push
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. season — in sport
  21. ground — a position
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. press — newspapers

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