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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. file — a document
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. perch — the fish
  5. land — ground
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mug — to rob
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. root — the cause
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. land — a country
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. board — a committee
  18. land — to come down
  19. board — to get on
  20. root — of a word
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. file — a tool
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. root — of a plant

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