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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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 tree
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. deal — to handle
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. march — the month
  9. wound — an injury
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pop — to visit
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pop — music
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. march — the month
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pop — soda
  21. march — music
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wound — an injury

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