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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rash — a series
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. root — the cause
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. root — of a word
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rash — hasty
  10. perch — the fish
  11. fine — all right
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cold — not warm
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cold — an illness

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