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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. perch — the fish
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stock — goods
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hand — help
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. saw — the tool
  13. present — there
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. present — a gift
  16. wake — a trail
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. present — the time now
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stock — shares

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