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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. key — the most important part
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. race — a contest
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. race — the arms race
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. key — in music
  17. race — humankind
  18. key — for a lock
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. squash — to crush
  24. leaves — lets stay

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