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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. charge — in control
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. charge — electricity
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chest — a box
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rock — a stone
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rock — music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. charge — a price
  23. perch — the fish
  24. trunk — of a tree

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