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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. foot — a measure
  6. sharp — clever
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spring — of water
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rock — a stone
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. spring — the season
  17. perch — the fish
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. rock — music
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. spring — a coil
  24. file — a tool

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