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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bank — for money
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chip — to eat
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bank — for money
  10. last — to go on
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chip — for betting
  14. last — finally
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. last — final
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. bank — of a river

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