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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 116 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bass — low music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. can — to be able to
  6. season — of the year
  7. can — a tin
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — the animal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stand — to bear
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. season — in sport

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