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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 116 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bank — for money
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. land — a country
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. last — final
  11. bank — for money
  12. last — to go on
  13. perch — the fish
  14. land — ground
  15. face — to confront
  16. last — finally
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. land — to come down
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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