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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bear — the animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. field — farmland
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — to come down
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — a subject
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. spell — letters
  15. land — a country
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. land — ground
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. field — for sport

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