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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. staff — employees
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. saw — the tool
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. staff — employees
  12. root — of a plant
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. saw — the tool
  16. root — of a word
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. root — the cause
  21. staff — a stick
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. lash — an eyelash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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