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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. spell — letters
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. track — to keep track
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. track — a path
  13. spell — a short time
  14. chip — for betting
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. track — a song
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. spell — magic
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chip — to eat
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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