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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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 tree
  3. mug — to rob
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mug — a cup
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mug — a face
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stem — to come from
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cold — an illness
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. perch — for a bird

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