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

Word bank: ruler · perch · straw · racket · trunk · season · stem · snap

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stem — to come from
  4. snap — to click
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. season — of the year
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. season — in sport
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. perch — the fish

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