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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cap — of ice
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. march — the month
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. march — the month
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. march — music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rush — hurry
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pound — to hit hard

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