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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. race — humankind
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. net — in sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. rest — a break
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — the fish
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rest — what's left
  23. net — for catching
  24. race — a contest

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