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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: chip · perch · rash · trunk · net · spring · lie · ground

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. net — for catching
  4. spring — a coil
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. perch — the fish
  8. net — after costs
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spring — the season
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rash — a series
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ground — a position
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. net — in sport
  24. ground — the earth

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