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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cap — a hat
  3. present — there
  4. rash — a series
  5. fall — to drop
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fall — the season
  9. present — a gift
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pop — soda
  22. present — the time now
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rash — hasty

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