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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · fan · trunk · perch · last · game · date · bear

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. foot — a measure
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. game — a match
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. date — the fruit
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. last — to go on
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — finally
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. last — final
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fan — a supporter

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