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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. perch — the fish
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. season — of the year
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. suit — to fit
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. suit — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. season — in sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. suit — clothes
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — to add flavour

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