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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 120 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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. spell — magic
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. perch — the fish
  8. row — a line
  9. club — for golf
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. club — a group
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. clip — for paper
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — to paddle
  22. craft — boats
  23. club — for dancing
  24. craft — a skill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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