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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 116 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. drill — a practice
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. sharp — clever
  6. drill — the tool
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. plane — a tool
  9. chip — to eat
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bank — for money
  13. drill — army training
  14. perch — the fish
  15. tube — the underground
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bank — for money
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. tube — a container
  20. bank — of a river
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tube — in a tire

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