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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. deal — to handle
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pit — in a race
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. band — a music group
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. band — a ring
  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