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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. foot — a measure
  3. perch — the fish
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. wound — an injury
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. trunk — of a tree

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