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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bank — for money
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. root — the cause
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cell — a phone
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. nail — on a finger

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