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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. current — electric
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ground — a position
  7. season — of the year
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. season — in sport
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. ground — crushed
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. current — of water
  15. perch — the fish
  16. current — happening now
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rush — hurry
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. ground — the earth
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. hide — animal skin

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