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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. tube — the underground
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — music
  7. root — of a plant
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. march — the month
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. lie — to recline
  12. perch — the fish
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. tube — a container
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. scale — size or range
  17. march — the month
  18. scale — in music
  19. root — the cause
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. root — of a word
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. lie — an untruth

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