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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pound — a weight
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. field — for sport
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. arm — part of the body

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