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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pit — a hole
  5. present — the time now
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. march — music
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. march — the month
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. present — there
  19. squash — to crush
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. present — a gift
  22. march — the month
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pit — in a race

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