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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rock — music
  5. chest — a box
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. charge — in control
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. spring — the season
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. spring — of water
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. charge — a price
  23. rock — a stone
  24. chest — of your body

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