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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. can — to be able to
  8. spring — a coil
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. can — a tin
  14. spring — of water
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. kick — in football
  18. spring — the season
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bark — to shout
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. dip — to sink
  24. perch — the fish

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