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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 124 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. perch — the fish
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — clothes
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. staff — employees
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. plane — a tool
  16. ground — the earth
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pound — a weight
  19. staff — a stick
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. plane — in geometry

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