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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. net — for catching
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. net — in sport
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. perch — the fish
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. last — final
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. prune — to trim
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. net — after costs
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — to go on
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lash — to lash out

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