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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. track — a song
  11. firm — steady
  12. mine — for digging
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. track — a path
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cell — in biology
  18. firm — decided
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. track — to keep track
  22. firm — a company
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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