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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. perch — the fish
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. season — in sport
  5. staff — employees
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ground — a position
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. season — of the year
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ground — crushed
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pound — a weight
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ground — the earth
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. staff — employees

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