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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wake — a trail
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. charge — electricity
  9. perch — the fish
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. charge — a price
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wind — moving air
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. date — the fruit
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. charge — in control
  24. pound — a weight

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